Calling All Dog Lovers

This pooch looks like our old family dog.

Do you get nostalgic around the holidays?  Recently I stumbled upon a video, which made me think of my family dog.  He looked and behaved just like this dog. He was independent and smart.  He liked to lay under furniture to rest.  And when he was bored, watch out.  He was too smart.

We had to stay one step ahead of him, or he'd try to take over the leader of the pack role.

When he was 6 months old, my aunt came for a one week visit, bringing her 4 young children.  Our dog must have felt displaced by having company in the house, so while we all slept, he found our guests' shoes and chewed up one shoe of each pair.  He didn't touch any of our shoes.  The next day we had to shop for new shoes, so our relatives would have something to wear for the rest of their vacation.

On that visit, our dog was put in the bathroom after he got underfoot.  Usually, he had the roam of the house.  So he climbed up to where there were folded towels and washcloths and pulled every last one of them down.  And when we opened the door to let him out, the bath towels were so scattered, we couldn't even find the dog.

This breed is supposed to yodel, instead of bark, but ours barked -- only when necessary -- but he never yodeled, so he must have been a mutt, though, he had the same features as the basenji in the video.

After he was several years old, on a Saturday night, we were trying to watch a television program.  It was Easter weekend, and there was a Special airing, but we could not get him to stay away from a widow in the front room of our house.  It overlooked a street.  We could barely enjoy our program and were so annoyed!  For what seemed like forever, we admonished him for barking, making him come away from the window, into the living room, time and again.  But he was stubborn and crept right back to the window.  So we scolded him yet again, saying:  You come back in here! ... WHAT HAS gotten into you!?!

Well, the next morning we decided to go to church and found out as soon as we stepped outside onto the porch.  Our car was missing from the front of our house where we had parked it.  It had been stolen!  And the dog had watched the thieves hot-wiring the car and tried to warn us, while we sat engrossed in our program!  We never made that mistake again.

You learn so much from your first.

There are many benefits to owning pets.  Studies show that having a dog can improve your mood, cure loneliness, lower blood pressure and reduce stress.  Dog owners exercise more than non-pet owners.  Our dog loved to snuggle and always greeted us with unconditional love.

Pet ownership is a responsibility.  But if you don't mind the work, you get joy, laughter and a loyal friend in return.  There are many cute kittens and pure breed dogs at animal shelters and dog rescue organizations who need families.  Look there before buying anywhere else.  It will cost less -- usually around $50-$100 for shots and spaying -- as well as, save the life of a furry friend.  Black dogs and cats, an unpopular color, are especially hard to place in loving homes.

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