Do You Treat Your Loved One Like a Dog?

Do you treat your loved one like a dog? We had better look at that a little closer so we will share a story to help clarify a bit. We had several dogs but we were past our “dog days” and we thought we shouldn’t get another dog. Yet, I (Lynn) was missing having a dog. Doug agreed to go out “just looking” at dogs and that, hopefully, would satisfy me. So, every Sunday we would go out driving and looking at some nice dogs. Then one day we went to an apartment and when we went in, there was this little grungy-looking, white greyish fur ball. Underneath all that, I could tell that he was a Maltese. He was so cute but he was a mess. His dish was filled with mold. It tugged at our heart-strings but I knew Doug didn’t want a dog. However, when I looked over, Doug was holding the little fur ball and he said, “If we gave you some money down, could we take him to a veterinarian and have him checked out?’ We got the go-ahead from the vet and we got our little Tootsie. He turned out to be the love of our life, without question. He was quite a dog.

And every day when we came home, whether we had been gone for five days, or five hours or five minutes, we would walk in the door and he would be jumping up and down and going around in circles. He was showing us that he really missed us and he was giving us a royal welcome.

He was so much fun but he had a heart condition. After nine years of multiple trips to the vet, in the middle of the night – the emergency room — there was no way to save him and we lost him.

Needless-to-say, when we came home at night it was not quite the same. After some time went by, Doug got to thinking, “Tootsie really taught me a lesson. I decided that the next time that Lynn comes home, I was going to do something. So, when she came home, I ran to the door, jumped up and down and said, she’s home, she’s home”. Tootsie’s spirit still lives and we have pretty much kept that tradition going for both of us ever since.

You possibly have some furry family member that you love. Maybe you are a cat person, a dog person, or a ferret or a gerbil person. Whatever the type of pet you have, or once had, we would love to hear your stories of how they touched your heart. The love and devotion that is shared between pets and their owners is often so deep and very special. We hope you will remember to treat all your family members at least as well. In other words, maybe you should consider treating your loved ones “like a dog”.

To see if our theory has merit, we wanted to see just how dog owners treated their pets. In the parks, we saw some people who definitely love their dogs and were willing to share their stories. We met Steve and Margaret DiMarco who were walking their dog, Sandy. It’s ok with them if Sandy “rules the house” because Sandy is so easy-going. Sandy is a beautiful, well-mannered but strong dog. Margaret has devised a creative way to walk Sandy “hands free” by having a rope tied around her own waist. We just wondered, if Sandy decides to run off to chase a squirrel, who would be walking whom?

Other dog-walkers on this chilly day included Carrie Mellesmoen and her brother, Greg, who brought Carrie’s dog, Bandit, to the park for some exercise. Carrie said Bandit came to Minnesota from an Oklahoma shelter and Bandit is a wonderful companion. Greg has another older dog who gets walked regularly, too. We can see that Carrie and Greg are very devoted to their dogs.

Another couple, Mark and Kerry Johnson also shared how much they enjoyed their little dog, Penny, who is the “joy of their life”. Penny has many toys, sleeps with them and obviously enjoys being wonderfully pampered in many ways.

All of these dog owners are caring people. They treat their dogs exceptionally well and describe their dogs as “family members”. They would undoubtedly agree that “you should treat your loved one like a dog”.

© Lynn Nodland 2017
Chanhassen residents, Doug and Lynn Nodland are owners of The Balance Center. Doug and Lynn can be contacted at WeCare@SharingLifesLessons.com