Change

clickety-clack...clickety-clack...clickety clack…

down the hall to the office…back up the hall to the family room…down the hall to the office…back up the hall to the family room…down the hall….

This is the sound our 80lb lab/shepherd makes on the floors as he roams the house not being able to decide if he wants to be in the office with mom or the family room with dad. Decide already! If he were a girl dog I swear I would paint those nails. Hot pink.

The last post and the event that took place made me really sad. Took. Me. Down. That cat was the first animal I had from the time she was a baby to the end of her life. I got her because of my love for animals and was only able to get a cat because I lived in an apartment that would not accept a dog. I was just about to turn 21 when I got her. My-oh-my how things have changed, which brings me back to the clickety-clack…

Change. The house, not apartment, in which I live is my first as a homeowner, purchased in 2005 just in time to experience the market plummet…ahhhh…the pleasures of owning a home! So what do dog lovers do when they buy their first house? Get a dog! However, we were not purposely looking for one. This one kind of landed on our doorstep. I remember when we got him I thought about how things were changing. We were getting a dog, not a cat. (Note: We still have two more cats. I know, I know...crazy, yes, whole other story). I remember thinking…at some point he will be the only animal in the house and good thing too because he’s like another child. His poops are the size of the cats themselves, he sheds unlike any other animal I’ve ever known, smells ever so sweetly of dirty grass and whatever fun loving smell he has decided to roll around in, and decided very early on that the loveseat would be his throne. Which I might add is now continuously covered with a sheet that is changed every so often due to his saliva making pant and spit spewing bark which conveniently splatters across the front window. Nice.

On the other hand – Not only is he one of the most handsome dogs I know, he is so sweet, extremely happy-go-lucky, considerably well behaved, has the cutest tail which curls up in a fluffy spray, and prances cheerfully while following you everywhere. He is great with kids and lets the rugrat grab his paws, pull his ear, tail, nose, whiskers, and hold his snout to kiss him on the lips. The rugrat will casually drape his arm over Duke’s neck and say, “Duke is my brover.” In addition, he’s an awesome guard dog and will bark ferociously at any and all coming to the house. If he’s really riled his fur will rise in a cool looking mohawk all the way down his back while barking, growling, and snorting like something out of Jurassic Park. This flagrant display of territorialism makes any stranger decide against entering the gate. However, I would be curious to know if Duke’s personal password is simply a hotdog.

Change. That’s what it is. Change.

I can hear my mom now…the only thing in life that is constant is change…