A Glimpse of Understanding

I'm beginning to love my days off again.  It's been such a hustle and bustle since Chad and I moved to Orlando, but it seems like things are finally settling down.  We both are getting the schedules we want (more or less) and we are getting our lives in order for the next step (the house).  So, in getting to this happy point of our lives, I can start paying attention to two young fellows who always seem to get the short end of the stick.

Chad and I both work a lot; doubles at least four out of six days.  So on our days off we really don't want to do much.  My perfect day off consists of getting out of bed and moving to the couch.  Getting off the couch to get a bite to eat.  Getting off the couch to go to the bathroom.  Getting off the couch to go to bed.  PERFECT!!!!!!!  Somewhere between doing nothing on my day off and working, I still do the laundry, clean the house and shop.  Kinda busy.

And I'm forgetting the dogs.  These two, wonderful souls that enrich our lives so much, but always seem to take the back burner to everything else.  They never ask for much:  food, water, the occasional bathroom break and a back rub or two, here or there.  We take them for granted, much like we do each other.  We expect them to warm our feet on cold night;  give us a kiss when we get home from a rough day;  and to be loyal to our every order.  What's really happening is that they stay locked in their crates all day while we work, holding their bladders until we can make time for them.  We yell at them when they bark, and sometimes forget to feed or water them.  But they are there.

Every time we come home, they jump on us and lick us.  They bring us their favorite, often smelly, toy and ask nothing of us but to play a little fetch.  And more time than naught, it seems as though it's to much of a bother.  Well, it's not. 

In Key West, I used to love playing fetch with Bare in the morning before Chad got up.  There we had a nice fenced in yard where this was possible.  Here, in apartment life, this isn't.  They both have to be on leashes most of the time and where Bare is older and listens when I call, Percy is to small and would run out into traffic if I let him off his leash.  It's not a very nice life for these two.

Today I took them to a dog park and realized that I owe as much time, attention and affection to these two lovely pups as would any parent to their child. Percy is an amazing animal.  He is quick and vibrant and loves to play in the mud (although I could do without it).  Bare loves jogging and playing in the water.  Being with other dogs, these two amaze me as they don't get as much time to interact with other animals as I would like.  Percy, reminds me of a Peanuts episode I saw once where Snoopy would lie in wait to attack a passerby.  Percy does the same thing.  It's great watching him think that the other dog can't see him as he lays there.  Waiting.  POUNCE!!!!!  Wow! 

So, it is even more important for me to get them out of this apartment and into a house with a fenced yard where they can roam, run, pounce, play and poop freely.  These are my children.  And though I may never truly know what it's like to raise children, I understand the importance parents feel to make a life for their children where it is safe.  Where they can grow at their own pace and be the individuals they are.  So I thank my two best friends for giving me this glimpse of understanding.