Who in your family is more loyal than your dog? Who in your family is absolutely ALWAYS happy to see you when you step into the house from outside? Who in your family NEVER complains or utters an unkind remark? Who in your family depends more on you than anyone else? Who in your family NEVER has a bad day? Who in your family hardly ever changes his/her attitude? Who in your family forgives you Pets are a Part of the Family by Al Duthie
more than your dog? Obviously I’m making a point or a reason to have a dog in your family. My wife, 3 children and I are definitely “dog people”. And in turn our oldest 2 children dated and then married dog lovers and our youngest child is currently dating an animal lover, who happens to work as a vet assistant. Unlike a lot of people, dogs seem to always be at peace with themselves, and unless provoked by something or someone, are not angry or aggressive. And dogs can immediately sense whether you are a dog lover or not. I don’t understand why a person would be in fear of a dog, unless that person had a bad (terrifying) experience in the past. Our family dog, Chandler, is a 14 year old male Cocker Spaniel. He is addicted to food. He will eat anything that is edible, as well as anything that he believes is edible, but might not actually be edible. When food is around Chandler does not act his age, which creates problems when we “let our guard down”. Chandler is very cute and this always makes us forgive him more quickly than we plan to after one of his food story disasters. I realize many dogs have stories of ingesting items not intended for consumption, but we still think Chandler does have some unique food stories. And at times we realize it is a “minor miracle” that he is still alive. About 11 years ago Chandler gave us a memorable Christmas. On Christmas eve we arrived home from church and discovered that Chan had eaten a 2 pound bag of M&Ms that had been gift wrapped and placed under the Christmas tree by our 12 year old son as a gift for his older brother. We called our vet, who wanted Chandler brought in to see him. Needless to say, Chandler had his stomach pumped, was hooked-up to an I.V. and spent Christmas day and the next day in the doggie hospital. Fortunately the chocolate was milk chocolate, not dark chocolate! We now have a family rule not to place food gifts under our Christmas tree! That same year we came home to discover that somehow, someway Chandler had jumped high enough to reach our kitchen counter and knock to the floor a loaf of bread, which he managed to consume. His stomach was so bloated that he could barely move! After that situation we always check counters for food before we leave the house! I believe the following year is the ham story. Friends stopped in our driveway to visit. It was summer time so my wife Holli let Chandler come out to see them. When their mini-van side door was opened Chan sprang into action when he smelled the fresh loosely wrapped ham. His surprising quickness is legendary! I was not home that fateful day, but I understand that Chandler had to be pulled away from that ham! He was attached! And now I must share the pizza story. Chandler has always been smart enough at a meal to survey the room and figure out the “weak link” person to grab some food. My son-in law, Mike, on his first visit to our house (7 years ago) was warned about this “weak-link” rule. Mike did listen and understood. However, he did not imagine that \ Chan could be that quick. Before Mike knew what had happened Chandler had jumped up to the table and grabbed a large slice of pizza and ate it in about 2 bites! Mike was so embarrassed! But he learned his lesson and now laughs about it! Over the years Chandler has also eaten entire boxes of cookies, breakfast bars, and crackers. Chandler is deaf, blind in one eye, and has poor sight in the other eye. His hind legs are not working well in terms of strength. He looks tired a lot and does sleep much more. In general Chandler is showing his age of 14 years. However, he still has his moments of playful energy, when all is well, and he displays complete happiness. Chandler might not make it through a long, hot summer. If that is the case, he will be missed. He will be grieved for. We will be sad. Chandler is after all, part of our family.
20 Crest Ink July, August & September 2017
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