Living With Dogs

Group Tug

I sometimes think how much easier & less expensive it would be if I did not live with a houseful of dogs.  I could go to bed when I wanted and get up late, there would be no bills for dog food whether kibble or a raw diet.  No vet bills either, and they can be significant.  No need to take young rowdy dogs to obedience class, no boring handling classes for young show dogs.  The patio door would be free of nose prints, the floors & furniture wouldn't always be hairy.  There would be so much less laundry to do too, and dog laundry includes heavy blankets and hairy cushions that are tough on the washer and dryer.  The car would stay cleaner and would last far longer without dog show trips, vet trips, dog park trips, and puppy socialization trips.

I wouldn't have to replace the patio door so often if I didn't have dogs to let in and out a hundred times a day, or dogs that occasionally slammed into the door.  The furniture would last longer, as would the rugs and tile.  There would be no grooves in my deck where the dogs launch after squirrels, no drool on the kitchen floor or puddles of spilled water from messy drinkers.  I could go to work without hair on my clothes, and my office chair and car seats would be hair-free.  It would be cheaper to heat and cool my house if the doors were not opened so often.  May bank account would look a lot better (unless I became obsessively involved in something else) and I could take vacations to interesting spots rather than to auditoriums in Nebraska and fairgrounds in Iowa.

The tendinitis in my left shoulder is directly related to all the young (and not so young) dogs who have attempted to rip my arm off when they saw squirrels, rabbits, cats, blowing leaves, whatever . . .  My back would probably be better too without 40# cases of food, crates, ex pens and puppies to lift, and dogs to bathe.

I ask myself, why do I do this?  And that's a great topic for tomorrow!