Mom, You Should Get Another Dog
They say dogs are good for seniors, but I still have issues with dogs that started a long time ago. But oblivious to me at the time, my son was onto something right after he left home for college seven years ago. That is when he started bugging me about getting another dog. My son also said he wanted me to get another dog because he would have a dog to play with when he visited me between semesters.
Now that he is out of grad school and I don’t see him every few months, he is pushing the dog thing harder than ever. Now, he is saying that I need to get another dog for companionship.
He Sensed The Empty-Nest Syndrome Coming On
But I like being in my own company. Besides, nobody is trying to deal with walking the dog on those cold mornings. In retrospect, I knew my son was only trying to prepare me for the empty-nesting blues long before I knew it would hit me so hard. So, why didn’t he come out and say that from the beginning?
Dogs Are Cheerful Spirits
“Dogs are cheerful spirits, greeting you when you rise in the morning, welcoming you, tails wagging when you return home. Over half the adults surveyed in a National Poll on Healthy Aging revealed that they owned a pet. Over 85% report that their pets helped them feel loved. 78% reported that having a pet reduced their stress.”
“During the pandemic, a constant loving companion eases the loneliness of many who live alone and fills the lives of empty-nesters.”
Dogs And Me. It’s Just One Of Those Things
Several years ago, a silly song titled, Who Let the Dogs Out, became a worldwide sensation. I still have no idea what the song was about, but it had a catchy hook that reminded me of a few of my run-ins with dogs. Plus, dogs are a lot of work! I have had a few dogs starting in my adult years. However, I am not sure I want to go down that road again during these golden years.
Besides Son, I Have Clifford, The Big Red Dog
We got Clifford in 2005 when we went to Memphis, Tennessee, during Hurricane Katrina. My children loved the Clifford books I read to them but were not interested in a soft toy Clifford dog. So he became my stuffed animal. And guess what? I don’t have to walk him on cold mornings, and he doesn’t eat my food! He doesn’t eat any food! LOL! So, Clifford is perfect for me.
A Demon-Dog Named Buster
I didn’t see her, but I heard her yell with all her might. “BUSTER! LEAVE THAT GIRL ALONE!” I don’t know who owned Buster, but if it weren’t for Ms. Doris’ scream, I would not have made it home without a serious injury. I was trying to get to Ms. Ethel’s sweetshop, and then Buster came after me as soon as I reached Egania Street. His Street. His territory.
Not All Dogs Go To Heaven
Shivering with fear and standing on the very top of somebody’s car, I knew then that not all dogs go to heaven. There is no way Buster died and made it through the pearly gates. For sure, he is burning in canine hell. I was only six years old when he came after me!
Thanks to Buster, I Still Have Cynophobia, A Fear Of Dog
My children don’t understand that although I loved our dogs when they were much younger, I still have some lingering dog-related fears.
And Then There Was “Lady”
Holidays were a big thing in the Lewis family. It was Thanksgiving Day, and I was about 14 years old, and as sheets of rain poured down, I went to the front porch to wait for my older siblings to arrive.
Man, I was looking good that day, too. I wore a pair of cream-colored corduroy pants with a plaid top, an outfit I had proudly sewn. But, when I wasn’t looking, our neighbor’s German Shepherd named Lady came up on our porch!
A Canine Usain Bolt
The Kaiglers always had big dogs, and since they always kept them in their big yard, I wondered how in the heck Lady got out! But before I could figure out the answer to my question, I ran down the steps and jumped the fence into Lady’s yard. But that dog was like a canine Usain Bolt! As soon as I cleared the fence, Lady returned to her yard after me again! DANG!
Back Over The Fence Into Our Yard
The next thing I knew, I jumped back over the fence into our yard and tore my brand-new pair of pants! Then, someone from inside the Kaigler’s house hollered, “Lady! Get yo’ ass back in this yard!!”
What is it with the dogs and me? Why are they always trying to have me for lunch? I felt like Buster called on his friends to come for me since he missed his opportunity to get me.
That Pit Bull Did Not Want Me There
I like to maintain my neighbors’ front yard gardens for fun. A few months ago, his pit bull started barking at the door from inside the house as I pruned in my neighbor’s garden. His bark was so hard and loud that it scared the HECK out of me! Baby, I dropped all my garden tools and ran like Forrest Gump back to my house!
Everyone Says Their Dog is Gentle
My neighbor likes to say that his pit bull is “gentle and kind,” but I haven’t been back in that yard since that day! Now, you know why I still struggle with loving dogs.
Family Dog
My friend told me that he often came home to find that his small dog had attacked his mother and would even turn on him sometimes. Eventually, they got rid of their dog, but only after nearly three years of terror. So, with all the beautiful dogs I see in my community, it’s stories like these that scare me.
The Rambunctious One
Years later, I met a man who came with a big dog, a Siberian Husky, to be exact. Thus, I had a decision to make because if I was going to accept the man, I had to take his dog. The first time I saw it, the reflected light made the whites of his eyes look red, and it frightened me.
A Red-Eyed Wolf-Dog
My then-boyfriend told me not to be afraid because his huge Siberian Husky was a “nice dog.” At the time, he did not know about my experience with Buster or Lady. Regardless, I wasn’t about to trust no red-eyed wolf-dog that looked like he could have me from breakfast in one gulp!
I, Denise, Take You Too, Rambo
Two years later, I married that man and his dog. Rambo and I became buddies, but when the marriage ended, so did my relationship with him. Guess what? When you get rid of the man, you also say goodbye to his dog, right? I just reversed things.
Where’s Your Lunch, Son!?
I always cooked a big breakfast for my children every morning before school. Usually, while they were getting dressed, I would make their school lunches. Well, I left the kitchen to go and get dressed for work, but when I went back into the kitchen to grab the children’s lunch bags, I realized my son’s bag was empty.
“Josh. Did you eat your lunch after the big breakfast, son?” I asked.
‘No, mother.” He was only five years old.
“Well, what happened to your lunch, son? I put both of your lunches right here on the counter.” I said.
Then I turned to look at Christy, our beagle-mutt, and she was licking her lips! She had eaten my son’s school lunch!
That Was It Enough For Me
I mean, Christy had her dog food, but she wanted to try a veggie burger, too! It’s funny now, but I wasn’t laughing that day because, as a single mother, I could not have a dog that ate her food and ours, too! Rambo was never allowed indoors, so having a dog share our indoor living space was different, and I wasn’t going to tolerate that. Oh, no. Christy had to go!
Then We Got Starr
A year or so later, my daughter’s classmate offered a purebred Bichon Frise’ to anyone who wanted it. Her family had Starr’s mom and dad and felt they had too many dogs. Yet, after the Christy debacle, I reluctantly took my children to see the new pups.
After much prodding from my children, we left with an all-white Bichon Frise we named Starr. Compared to Rambo, Duke, and Christy, Starr was like a toy dog.
The Duke
Oh, yeah, I forgot to tell you all Duke, a black Labrador my husband and I got at the same time we had Rambo. My good friend offered Duke to us because she did not have a yard for him. We accepted, but it did not turn out so well. Duke even bullied our Husky for his food! Plus, he bit my brother-in-law hard on the butt! That made me afraid that he would also bite one of our children. So, he had to go!
Evil Police Search Dog
I arrived at Union Station in Washington, DC, and as I was walking to find where I needed to meet my bus behind me, I heard the words, “Search, Search. Search.” What!? The only time I had to take the bus to my daughter’s college due to my car acting a little wonky, I got searched by a darn police dog!
Search Search
Then I saw her, a fully loaded police officer who ordered her dog to sniff me. “Search, Search,” she kept saying. I wanted to scream, LADY, WOULD YOU PLEASE STOP?! Then my eyes fell on a particular piece of equipment attached to her side, and somehow those words got jammed in my throat.
I Went To Grab A Quick Sandwich
Since my bus wouldn’t come for an hour, I walked through the station for a quick sandwich. When I returned 20 minutes later, there they were again. “Search, Search.”
Listen, Lady, Leave me alone! I have no drugs, no weapons, nor bombs! I am just trying to get to my daughter’s school in Philly.
I could hear those words so loud in my head! What about me, that of the thousands of people in Union Station, that officer decided to use ME to train her dog? I felt like Charlie Brown. Good grief. Why is every dog always picking on me?
Turning On Its Master
I have been thinking about dogs who turn on their masters. A couple of years ago, in my state, a dog mauled its owner to death in the mountains. The weird part was after the dog killed her, it stayed with her body as if to guard it until someone found her.
I’m Not Getting You A Small Dog!
So when my son told me he wanted to get me a “big dog,” I cringed.
“What about another Bichon Frise’?” I asked him.
“Mother, are you serious? I am not getting you a small dog!” he barked. Pun intended. “A Bichon Frise wouldn’t even be able to get up the steps! You need a mid-sized dog, at least!”.
“What do you call mid-size?” I asked.
Just Stay Active, Mom
My children are trying to ensure I stay busy during these empty-nesting years. But wait. I write, read, and walk daily. I also garden outdoors and tend to my many indoor plants. It’s not like I sit watching As the World Turns. My children fear that I will sit around and grow old fast. Not in a million years! I am too keen to let that happen.
I Miss Them No Matter What
If my son thinks having a dog will make me not miss him and his sister, it won’t. He may have been reading articles about parents and the empty-nest syndrome. So, he thinks that having a dog would be therapeutic for me. He is probably right. But my son won’t be here when someone needs to walk the dog in sub-freezing temperatures.
Get A Dog or Adopt A Child?
Perhaps, adopting a child would be easier than getting a dog. But when I think about parent-teacher conferences, I abandon the thought. Do I want to start that all over again at my age? Nope.
I have tried to imagine sharing my space with a dog. But I don’t know. And what about when I start traveling again? I need more time to think about that one.
Doggie Dates In My ‘Hood
Now that most people are vaccinated, the dog lovers in my neighborhood are doing meet-and-greets on my walking path. I pass by and smile.
“Hey, neighbors. How are y’all doing today?” I say. Yet, deep down, I am shuck-time jealous of every one of them. I return home and intentionally call my son during work hours, knowing he will most likely not pick up because he gets busy at work. I was hoping that he was in a meeting.
Denise, Don’t be a scaredy-cat, I hear in my head.
So, I mustered up the courage to text him.
“Hey, son. I’m ready to get another dog if the offer is still good.” And then I wait.
