Time for a not so serious post but maybe somewhat serious. My wife and I have had three "puppies" together. We call them puppies regardless of age because we are crazy silly parents when it comes to our pets. I write in honor of the first dog who adopted me which was Corduroy, named after the children's book. She was old and had been with my wife for quite some time so she was in fair health and was aging when we got together. Charlene says I rejuvenated her because she wanted to show the new guy that she was good forever. That was our first bond with a "puppy"
Then came Hope who also adopted me. Hope was a standard poodle who was rescued from a puppy mill and was barely alive and had never set foot on grass. Hope was also scared on lightning because she was kept outdoors in a pen, but she blossomed with Charlene and if we were going to get married I had to win over a naturally distrustful poodle. Once we broke the ice she decided I could be her petting machine and we were inseparable. When Corduroy died she was lonely so In the next paragraph we will come to the little guy. First, Hope did something amazing. She had sniffed my cancer back in 2008 and would not eat nor would she leave my side. Once diagnosed and we went to Houston she ate everything in front of her and was fine. She was the savior that we lost last May as I was checking into the Marriott in DC for NAR, an awful day. I miss her so much.
But then comes the little guy with 50 names, Henri. He came along because Hope was lonely and until she passed at 14 they were the bestest buds. He is now our only puppy since I don't think that Charlene will be ready for another dog for a long time and of course Henri likes being the top and only dog just fine. There is so much that we can learn from our puppies and kittens but for me it is about their lifespan because it is not registered in longevity but in joy. I am one of the fortunate ones that has the privilege of living a long life but fro us humans we need that time to become our true selves. Fort our pets they get it from day one and the little Buddhas make this life more bearable and are making me smile a mile wide as I write this.
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