This morning, like every morning, I walk around our nearby lake with our labrador mix, rescue dog and trusty K-9 companion by my side. I remember when my husband and two sons expressed the wish to own a dog. They knew they had to get my agreement first, so they practiced patience and perseverance at their best!
Now, almost 3 years after adopting this black, energetic and very determined pooch, it is hard for me to imagine not having her around. Her wagging tail, which is always curled upward and moves in constant perpetual motion, is testimony of her happiness as much as ours.
Over time, we have created an entire parallel universe around her existence, an accumulation of stories adding to her already vivid personality. These "tales" give us so much fun, that even my teenage son finds it to be a distraction from life's challenges.
Beyond the unconditional love that we all receive from our dogs in particular, we also learn to look at the world from their perspective. There are treasures out there that we might overlook in our busy lives, would it not be for our dog's nose persistently scoping out the unknown. It invites us to stop, admire, smell the flowers, listen to the birds, spotting a turtle and practice more "carpe diem".
Now, that the "dog days" of Virginia have started to announce summer over night, our dog will take things a little slower, find a cool spot under the table and probably miss the crisp mornings, when she felt like she had to greet the world with an extra amount of friskiness.
