Pet Power

February 10th, 2016

Every morning I wake up to the clicking sound of our dog's nails on the wooden stairs as she comes up to greet us. Our golden lab, Sweetie, jumps onto the side of the bed and licks my hand. She jumps down and goes over to my husband, Vincent. She licks his face. One of us gets up with her. Her tail is wagging and she is just so happy to be alive. She follows us down the stairs. We let her out into the yard. When she returns, we pet her and give her a Milk bone. Then, she is off to wake up the girls. They are so excited to see her. They love watching her happy face as she tries to jump onto their bed (not going to happen). The girls pet and hug her. What a great way to wake up!

When it's time to get on the bus to school, Vincent takes the dog out with the girls. They often wish they could stay home. They hate wearing snow pants. They may be feeling quite grumpy. However, Vincent throws the ball countless times and the dog chases the ball and brings it back for more. They hide from the dog, behind our truck, and she barks at them to come out and play. They throw snowballs and watch her catch them, and eat them. All of her craziness makes our morning routine enjoyable. Her presence calms jangled nerves and makes everyone laugh.

When the girls come home after school, they see the dog and give her hugs. They look forward to seeing her and our cat, George. I never wanted a cat because I had only ever met cats who were unpredictable. I feared that our children would pull his tail and get their faces scratched. However, our cat is the mellowest cat ever! He should get an award for all that he endures. As soon as the girls walk into the house, they are looking for the cat. They pick him up and hug him. He is generally sleeping in a warm spot, his fur all dishevelled and warm. He hears the girls' squealing as they set eyes on him and he braces for impact. They pick him up, hug him, carry him (bottom's up), and pretend he is flying through the air like Super Cat. He hangs out, purring.

If one of the girls has had a bad day, she will spend extra time with the pets getting some quiet comfort before she is ready or willing to talk about her day. I feel so grateful for our pets. They bring love, comfort, predictability, fun and calm into our home and our lives. When the girls have friends over, they always want to play with our cat because he is so calm. They also love the playful energy from our dog. The pets make our house feel like a home.

We overlook the importance of pets not only to provide a sense of safety to children but also to get us out of the house for exercise and, to give children an opportunity to care for another human being. The girls love giving our dog her Milk bone on weekends or filling her water bowl or brushing the cat's fur. They love getting the pets a treat or a new toy at the store. They enjoy taking the dog to a nearby trail. There is lots of excitement and giggling on the way to the park.

When I take the girls out to toboggan, the dog bites the tip of the sled and pulls the girls all over the hill. When we eat outside, the dog entertains us as she does a number of tricks, hoping that someone will throw a piece of steak or corn on the cob her way. When it's bath time and the girls don't want to get in the bath, I can always count on Sweetie to break the ice by trying to be the first one in. When the girls hate their supper, they know they can get the dog to eat whatever gets slipped under the table. (I wish I'd had a dog when I was growing up). In pretty much every memory there is the dog and, none of it would be as fun without her. Thank you to both our pets, Sweetie Pie and George, for making our lives happier and fuller.

Anne Walsh
www.artnsoul.org