IT'S A DOGS LIFE

Recent events over the pond have gotten me to thinking about the dogs that have graced me with their presence throughout my life. I will forgo the childhood family dogs details and just say the there was Murphy, the most awesome Irish Setter EVER. Sometimes you go get a dog, you adopt it, you rescue it from the pound, you might even buy it from a breeder. I have bought one dog from a breeder, Skeeter, a brindle boxer who was fond of bass amps and bass drums and died before his time because, I believe, he was a bred dog.
But the best dogs find you. Take Sunday, for example. He came into my life quite by accident, and stayed with me for 3 or so years. He chose me. And during our time together, he was the best friend I ever had.
There was no need to train him, it was like he knew. In a sense, he trained me. He was an awesome dog, and a great chick magnet. I would take him to zilker park and brush him...he was a border collie mix, with a lush coat of black and white...hence the name Sunday,that and the fact that we found each other on a Sunday. Then one day he was gone. I saw him again a year and a half later on the trails in pease park. He remembered me, but he was with someone else then, our time was done.
Then there was Buddy, he was and is the dog love of my life. I got him at 6 weeks when I was living in coloration (I meant Colorado...jeez!) on my lonesome own. He went everywhere I went all of his life. He was the most connected pet I have ever had. 115 lbs.... of love. He lived with me for 14 years...I could just look at him in a certain way and he knew what it meant. We said goodbye on the floor of a pen at my vet on the wrong end of a needle,I'm not sure, but I think he knew what was coming, he knew his number was up and he went down with his head on my leg. With the first snap of winter kicking his hips ass, we both knew. And after all this time it still breaks me to think of my Buddy...the travellin' dog, companion, protector and really big scary looking dog who wouldn't hurt a flea.Unless I told him to. And I did a couple of times.
This bunch we've had now for awhile...the three black dogs. It's the same thing really if you think about it. I love these dogs and they love me. It didn't start out that way though...you got to get to know each other, learn the boundaries, come to an understanding, maybe even bite each other a couple of times so to speak.
But when Theo's in his favorite chair looking at me and that tail of his begins to bounce, you better believe I know I'm loved, and he is too.
And I wouldn't trade those moments for anything.