She was a shy, precocious cocker spaniel – living in a breeding dump, infested with fleas. On our first night together, she wouldn’t leave my side and as she slept beside me with her eyes open, I knew she was the one. I named her Georgie Girl and we never looked back. It sounded like a smart decision at the time. I was young, single and thought that a daily walk with my dog would be a fun social thing to do and the idea of coming home from work to a waiting companion was appealing.
A long year and a half later, I thought Georgie needed a playmate. I had purchased my first home and my best friend looked lonely patrolling the backyard by herself. Kiwi is my Italian Greyhound whom I rescued from a family afraid of dogs. Her primary care taker was a 10-year old and Kiwi had never even been given a heartworm pill. It was love at first sight and eventually Georgie came to tolerate her, too.
Dogs are wonderful, loving companions. Dogs are also very expensive and long commitments. Fast forward ten years and my family has grown. I now have a husband, a 4-year old and an 8-month old. Add two spoiled dogs to that mix and it’s like having two more ch’ren with the mentality of toddlers. I never envisioned having four children – certainly not four children under the age of five.
Here’s the deal: The dogs that captured my heart years ago are now pains in my ass. I spend more on them than I do my own children–more money on Georgie with all of her health issues, and more time on Kiwi with all of her mental issues. Georgie is a cancer survivor, pulling through two tumor removals and eight rounds of chemo. She’s also had two cruciate repairs and about 300 stones removed from her bladder – which resulted in ridiculously expensive food that she’ll be on for the rest of her life – not to mention her incontinence issues, which also require medication daily for the rest of her life. Georgie is the rascal of the two, pulling pumpkin pies off the counter at Thanksgiving and nearly killing me on more than one occasion by walking in between my feet. And then there’s Kiwi, my epileptic drama queen who gets medication to control seizures and has weird eating rituals that involve pushing all of the kibbles to one side of her bowl with her snout while also trying to cover her bowl with her bed – every single morning. She also has ‘pee where I want to’ syndrome – just because. Kiwi will go to the door when she has to pee, spend five minutes outside doing her business and come back inside only to piss somewhere in the house two minutes later, just because she can. We feel she’s slightly retarded.
Selfishly, I fantasize about the days when they are no longer with us. I look forward to when the pizza man rings the doorbell and all hell doesn’t break loose. I look forward to when I can call my sister and sing “Happy Birthday” to her without my solo becoming a trio. There are a number of things that will be easier when they are no longer with us. I often joke about how the sooner they pass, the better for my introverted personality. Next time I’ll get a cat – a creature with independence that will occasionally present itself and not assault my mouth with wet kisses (another Kiwi annoyance). The truth is: I say these things to lessen the torture of what it’s going to be like for me when they really are gone. They both turn 10 this year and the painful reality is that there will come a time for gut-wrenching decisions. They will pass and we’ll lose two cherished members of our family. They may be pains in my neck, but they are fiercely loyal and love me unconditionally. They stand watch at our home and say ‘no one will get close without us letting you know.’ Kiwi is my energy efficient electric blanket in the winter – Georgie is my faithful friend who ensures I make it to every room in the house successfully. They are family. They are irreplaceable.
If you have a dog, be extra nice to them this year. They are the only creatures alive whom you can curse one minute but will be sitting by your side immediately afterwards. If you don’t have a dog, it’s a big responsibility but a rewarding one. They are the most selfless, loyal companions you’ll ever know.
One day, I’ll have to figure out how to live life without them, but until then…Frosty Paws for everyone!
Georgie & Kiwi on watch
Strawberries & Collard Greens 