by: Christen Vermeulen
Confession: I love my dog more than most people.
It’s true.
Dogs, in general, I prefer over human beings. Yes, I am one of those crazy people who, in another life, should have been a California hippie, strictly vegan, protesting against animal cruelty, and working as a veterinarian fostering dogs until a good home was found for them.
But in reality, I grew up on a farm surrounded by corn fields with a love of grass-fed, free range beef. I also chose nursing as a profession that puts me in direct contact with some of the worst humans I’ve ever had the displeasure of knowing. However, in my former life and my present one, my love for the canines has not waned in the slightest.
Every family pet I’ve had was not just an animal, they were escalated to a member of the family. I could easily write a book about each of our family pets; they have existed since my earliest memory and saturated my lifestyle as one never being without a dog.
My current dog, Jasmine, just turned five years old.
She is a female Newfoundland coming in at 115 pounds, and considered “small” for a Newfie. Jasmine and I are buddies and she makes me a better person.
Why?
I can’t be lazy when I’m around her, I get outside, she teaches me patience, and unconditional love. She follows me around quietly with what I call “hopeful eyes,” heaving heavy sighs, and laying her huge, fat head on my lap until I take her on a walk, swimming, or fetch. Over the years, she has also taught me to not be so attached to material things.
Newfoundlands are huge, hairy, slobbery, uncoordinated beasts without exception. My husband and I have had to rearrange our furniture, vehicles, travel plans, and living arrangements around our dog. And then not care about the prestine condition of any of them too much.
I daily vacuum her bales of fur in every crevice of our home, scrub off the dried slobber that has formed a thin layer on our most expensive things, and have come to terms that my car scent will always be “wet dog”.
But when I look into her sweet brown eyes, I know she doesn’t recognize anything other than what I ask of her, she loves being around me in any capacity, and only cares about quality time spent with those she loves while doing the fun doggy things she was born to do.
Who wouldn’t be a better person hanging around that for five plus years?
So, be forewarned, my love for dogs does not stop with just my own pet...it expands to pretty much all canines. And you’ll be hearing a lot more about dogs from me.
So if you don’t like heartwarming stories about unconditional love, silent support in hard times, tales of destruction about tails of destruction, and random facts about my furry babes, well, I’m not saying we couldn’t be friends...
....but I definitely wouldn’t trust you.
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