"Except he won’t live as long as I want him to." Dogs are always an inspiration, just in the sense that they do burn the candle at both ends. They always die sooner than us.... much sooner than us. My wife had never had a dog, or really any other kind of "pet," in her adult life. Our dog, is the first dog that was ours. We don't have children.
Took about a year, for her to feel the deep connection one can have with a dog. They are not just some other diffident animal in your home. They wake you up in the morning. They tell you they want to play. They know when you are sad, and will give you a nose poke to get up and be active. I have been having the conversation with The Wife about the passing of a dog, cause ours is beginning to have health issues, and she doesn't have any prior experience with it and the heartbreak that can bring on. Just have to celibate the short time they have, and never feel bad about the investment of loving them. Cause Hey, they got free food, shelter, purpose, comfortable living spaces, and the alternative for most of my adopted dogs was not so good.
We've all heard of the characture of the Cat Lady. Well, my Dad, who I have to say was a character study, out lived most of his human friends and lived alone. He lived at the end of a county road, on a large farm. People drop off dogs at the end of such roads. He adopted all of them and they coalesced into a pack, of 10 or more dogs, with my Dad as the Alpha. Some times there was a dog fight outside. Dad would say, "Just a new guy learning the ropes." It was a crazy place to visit. The whole house was dedicated to the dogs. Different feeding areas for different dogs. Open a door to come in, and there is a herd of dogs, all running in also, and then sitting, attentively as my Dad held "court," with that month's "Number One Dog," front and center of the pack. So there is a Male version of the "Cat Lady."
