"How Much Is That Doggie In the Window?"

My granddaughter Genna announced the other day that she wished her grandmother and I would get a dog. Or as she put it, "Walker and I love dogs and we want you to have one." Walker is her two-year-old brother and he doesn't talk much, so she talks for him. I guess she figured the argument for a dog would have more force if she conveyed both their wishes.

The chances of us getting a dog as a pet range from "Not likely" to "Not a chance." It isn't that I don't like dogs, it is just at this stage in my life I don't want the responsibility of an animal. I had dogs when I was growing up and I loved them dearly. But they were outdoor dogs and weren't too much trouble to tend to. We kept them inside our fenced in back yard and they were happy there.

After Terry and I married we got a cat. Now I never thought of myself as a cat person. They didn't seem to be particularly loveable animals. I later found out that is their charm. They bestow love when and where they want to, unlike dogs who generally love everybody. Our cat Fluff was affectionate to all of us but she particularly loved our oldest son JJ. When JJ was around Fluff wanted him holding her.

Fluff lived to be twenty-something years old. She died with Terry holding her after we had taken her to the vets to be put to sleep. She had gotten so old that she was in constant pain. Giving her up was one of the hardest things Terry and I have ever had to do.

So do I want another animal - no! When you have had the best, all others pale in comparison. And Fluff was the perfect cat companion, independent and loving. Plus I just don't want the responsibility of an animal. My brother kept his daughter's dog this week for a couple of days while she and her husband attended a wedding. He was miserable, or at least uncomfortable, having an animal in his house.

When we had Fluff whenever we went on vacation we boarded her at the Vet's. I never felt I had the right to take my animal to anyone else's home. And if you ever come to visit me, leave your animal at home. I have allergies and don't need any added problems caused by dog or cat hair.

So my grandchildren are out of luck when it comes to animals at our house. Their other grandparents have a dog so they can get that out of their system when they visit them. I did tell Genna that if she insisted we get a pet, we might get a goldfish named Henry. Why I named it Henry I don't know. But Henry it is and Henry it will be if we ever do get one. (Which isn't really likely either.)

 

 

 

 

 

©2004 Jackie K. Cooper

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