IF I DIDN'T HAVE A DOG OR CAT . . .

[dawglover]

IF I DIDN'T HAVE A DOG OR CAT . . .

I could walk around the yard barefoot in safety.

My house could be carpeted instead of tiled and laminated.

All flat surfaces, clothing, furniture, and cars would be free of hair.

When the doorbell rings, it wouldn't sound like a kennel.


When the doorbell rings, I could get to the door without wading through the fuzzy bodies who beat me there..

I could sit on the couch and lie in my bed the way I wanted, without taking into consideration how much space several furry bodies would need to get comfortable.

I would have money, and no guilt to go on a real vacation.
I would not be on a first-name basis with 6 veterinarians, as I put their yet unborn grandkids through college.

The most used words in my vocabulary would not be:
out, sit, down, come, no, stay, and leave it ALONE.
My house would not be cordoned off into zones with baby gates or barriers.

I would not talk 'baby talk'. 'Eat your din din'. 'Yummy yummy for the tummy'...

My house would not look like a day care center, toys everywhere.

My pockets would not contain things like poop bags, treats and an extra leash.

I would no longer have to spell the words
B-A-L-L, W-A-L-K, T-R-E-A-T, O-U-T, G-O, R-I-D-E, C-O-O-K-I-E.

I would not have as many leaves INSIDE my house as outside.

I would not look strangely at people who think
having ONE dog or cat ties them down too much.

I'd look forward to spring and the rainy season instead of dreading 'mud' season.

I would not have to answer the question
'Why do you have so many animals?'
from people who will never have the joy in their lives of knowing
they are loved unconditionally by something as close to an angel as they will ever get.

How EMPTY my life would be!!!

[Night Owl]

5/5 I agree completely. My three pups make each of those soooooo TRUE!!!

[Pumpkingirl]

Great post....."dreading mud season" made me laugh so much....how much do I hate that. Also spell talking made me smile. One thing not mentioned was car keys. When our baby chi hears car keys jingle, he is shaking off that girly belly band and RUNNNIN for the door. I can't imagine life without my babies, its unconditional love x 6. OMG forgot to mention how funny the one was about making room in the bed, I seriously thought I was the ONLY one who actually did that.....great post.

[spedkiddos]

I agree, as I'm trying to get motivated to vacuum (my tile and wood)!

[joyohjoy]

Excellent post, sounded like home. I have four "mud puppies" when it rains. I have learned to put water in the tub (enough to cover their feet) and when they come in (one at a time) I take them to the tub to get the mud off their feet. Now when the youngest comes in he want to get in the tub wheather he has dirty feet or not. Animals are unconditional love. Wouldn't trade them for anything. TILE AND WOOD THROUGH OUT MY HOUSE.

[Spartan]

Yes, my life would be less complete if I did not have my Heidi (a Shiatsu). Yet I realize that it’s easy to interpret what is instinctual as unconditional love.

The fact is that dogs are mostly driven by hunger. Therefore they will show affection to those known to provide food. When they’re hungrier, they become more affectionate. They're are also territorial. Therefore, they’ll protect what’s theirs – including their food source. This, too, can be mistaken for love. But the truth is that they’ll be just as protective of their favorite toy. Unconditional love more than simple affection or protection.

To love unconditionally, one must be able to comprehend the other, to see the strengths and faults of the other, and to fully accept and forgive the faults and love the other regardless.

Dogs don’t have this capability – they are rather blinded to most of what makes us who we are.

But, yes, it is more romantic to believe that they love us.

[siamcat]

We have a dog, a cat, and birds. At one time we had rats.
I wouldn't know what to do without our pets.

[Imagine]

My husband and I also have to spell P-O-P-C-O-R-N, but it never matters they can smell us thinking about it.

My Mom really takes the cake though for muddy puppets. She had the contractor who was poring an extended patio add a cement basin for foot baths, mostly paw baths, right outside her kitchen door.

[engteach64]

That was too funny/true. Mud season! LOL. I hate mud season. Even just the rain. My dogs know I have a towel by the door, and they will come in sopping wet and wait to be dried off...well, my female thinks she's a cat so she doesn't go outside in rain.

It makes it all worth while when I walk in the door at the end of a long work day and they are wimpering to love me. I love my babies, and can't imagine (as you said) how empty the house would be without them. They keep me sane.