by Kathy Whirity
As a dog lover at heart, I love to watch movies starring man's
best friend.
Back when the kids were little we enjoyed the series of
Beethoven movies featuring the lovable but beastly St. Bernard.
There's something entertaining about seeing the out of control
antics of our fellow furry friends, probably because it makes us
thankful that our pets are not quite as crazy or demanding.
The other night we rented the movie Marley & Me. All I knew
about the story line was that it involved an obnoxiously misbehaved
yellow Labrador Retriever.
This dog barked, chewed and ransacked his way through the entire
movie. Jennifer Aniston and Owen Wilson played the beleaguered
couple who had their hands full dealing with this disaster of a dog.
Even though he was incorrigible, he managed to stay a permanent
fixture in the family even after the arrival of three children.
What I wasn't expecting was how the movie ended.
Somehow I wasn't expecting it to be a tear jerker but there I
sat, sniffling and crying as Marley made it to a ripe old age only to
have to be put to sleep due to an irreversible disease.
As Owen Wilson's character says goodbye to his fur kin I had
flash backs of when I was standing in that same emotional place,
saying goodbye to a faithful friend. Unfortunately I found myself
being in that position twice.
At 15, make that 105 in dog years, Bingo lived a long and happy
life. Like Marley, she was far from being the perfect pooch. Her
worst behavior was getting into the bread drawer and devouring
everything in it every time we left the house. Puppy proofing was a
joke because she always managed to steal the contents no matter what
we used to keep her out.
Holly was a different story. She was the first Golden Retriever
we owned. For the first few years she was a hurricane of activity.
She chewed everything that wasn't nailed down. She had energy that
would make the energizer bunny envious. But as she grew into a more
mature dog she outgrew some of those annoying habits. Sadly, she was
only 10 years old when we hugged her tight and said goodbye as she
went to sleep for the last time.
* * *
*
Someone once told me that they'd never have a dog because it
would be too painful when the time came to say goodbye.
I find that mind set kind of sad. While it's true that the
goodbyes are heartbreaking it's the unexpected pleasures that make
being a dog owner worthwhile. There is nothing more loyal than a
dog. The swish of the tail tells you in dog language that you've made
them happy. A big floppy eared dog with a bone in his mouth just
begging for you to play fetch is worth the time it takes to throw it
as far as he can run.
Hannah and Henry, our Retrievers in residence, were laying at my
feet during our viewing of Marley & Me. Occasionally Henry would
jump up -- his ears perked when the sound of barking was heard.
After the noisy scenes he'd come right back and plop down right in
front of me.
We have had our share of canine catastrophes like digging holes
the size of ditches in our backyard, not to mention the layer of dog
hair that is a never ending battle do deal with. But, would I ever
trade these dog days for dogless ones? No way!
For all their trouble, there is a more than equal amount of
happiness they bring to our lives. And though we must face the
inevitable, down the road, the forever memories made with man's best
friend makes it all worthwhile.
-- Kathy Whirity <kathywhirity at yahoo.com>
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Kathy is a syndicated newspaper columnist who shares her sentimental
musings on family life. She is also a contributing author to the
Chicken Soup for the Soul series. Kathy and her husband, Bill, are
enjoying life as new grandparents.
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