Fur Love Friday

A friend sent this to me recently... a short story moms of small children can also appreciate.

An older, tired-looking dog wandered into my yard; I could tell from his collar and well-fed belly that he had a home and was well taken care of. He calmly came over to me, I gave him a few pats on his head; he then followed me into my house, slowly walked down the hall, curled up in the corner and fell asleep. An hour later, he went to the door, and I let him out.

The next day he was back, greeted me in my yard, walked inside and resumed his spot in the hall and again slept for about an hour. This continued off and on for several weeks.

Curious I pinned a note to his collar, 'I would like to find out who the owner of this wonderful sweet dog is and ask if you are aware that almost every afternoon your dog comes to my house for a nap.'

The next day he arrived for his nap, with a different note pinned to his collar, 'He lives in a home with 6 children, 2 under the age of 3 and he's trying to catch up on his sleep. Can I come with him tomorrow?'
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The love of my life is my 115 pound black lab Boudreau. Being that I am an artist and work from a home studio, we spend nearly every moment of our days together. This smart, spoiled, adorable ball of fur has saved me these past two years and for this - every mischievous act and every middle of the night request to go out, is forgiven. 


My husband and I have tried for over five years to have a baby. That roller coaster took us through failed IVF's, a diagnosis of "you will never be able to get pregnant", then two pregnancies, two miscarriages, and the still pending "maybe". 

As forty looms in the near future for me, it takes true effort to stay positive about how our family will evolve. Boudreau helps with this. It is nearly impossible to lay in the bed mulling over the "what if's" when he plunks his leash on my pillow. It is hard to stay sad after yet another friend's baby shower when you are met at the door by tail wagging, pure excitement just because you showed up.


The love of (and for) a dog can snap you out of it... and into a world where joy comes from a simple walk around the neighborhood.