I CAAAN'T Stop!!!

I've had a rough week, folks...

Our friend Karl often shares a little story about his daughter (his ONLY daughter...) and how her mysterious, perplexing and uniquely feminine ways often leave him confused...

about how in the past, if she were upset about something ...

I mean, REALLY upset about something, she would begin to cry....

and after the crying had continued for quite some time, she would announce through her tears that "I CAAAN'T STOP C-R-Y-I-N-G!!!!!!!"

This story has always made me smile... It's even made me chuckle over the dramatic flair of it all...

That is... until a few of days ago...

I had to face the moment that every pet owner signs up for, the day they bring that little ball of fluffy cuteness home to share their lives with...

The one that you don't think about in the midst of your excitement...

The one that no one warns you about when you open your home and your heart to a creature that becomes your kid... your baby... your pet...

One of my friends likened we moms relationship with our pets to that of being the parent of a perpetual toddler as they are so very dependent on us for everything and love us unconditionally... they stay that way their entire lives
(Plus - BONUS... never turn into stubborn know-it-all teenagers...)

They are happy just to be with us and hate it when we leave them...

This past week, I had to say goodbye to the one who has protected me, sat by my bed when I was sick, and loved me without condition for the last twelve years...

Our dog Marco went to heaven after battling diabetes as well as blindness for the past year and a half.

It was his time to go and I knew that...
I also anticipated that I would be sad and feel the loss...
I mean, he had, after all, been a HUGE part of our family for the last twelve years...

What I didn't see coming, however was the absolute devastation that I have encountered over the days since...

I went through an entire jumbo pack of Puffs Plus in 2 days...
(we're talking hundreds of tissues)

I felt absolutely gutted...

I suddenly have a new understand for my friends daughters plight...
Because "I CAAAN'T STOP C-R-Y-Y-Y-I-N-G!!!!"

You'll be glad to know that each day I'm doing a little bit better
(I've only teared up 5 times today and didn't once wail)

But he did leave an huge empty spot in out hearts that we are all feeling...




Farewell Marco-Boy!!
I know you'll be waiting for me at my front door in heaven...

But in the meantime, try to stay out of trouble!

You Ain't Nothin' But A Hound Dog....

I've noticed a disturbing trend lately...
I'll apologize in advance for any distress that this may cause you if you are included in the following category, but I can honestly say that this is my real opinion...
(MY being the operative word here)

If you are from a different school of thought, that's okay...
Don't hate... Appreciate... (I overheard this at a party once... so I thought I'd try it on for size)

What the heck is it with people and their dogs?
I mean, when did dogs suddenly move up a rung or two on lifes ladder to be on the same level as people?
Before anyone contacts PETA to put a contract out on me, or plot an ambush at the entrance to the grocery store and throw paint on me because I have leather trim on my sneakers (and it might actually be 'pleather' anyway) HEAR ME OUT!

I am an animal lover...
Truly, I am!

I adore my dog...
He's been part of our family for more than 11 years...
I've fed him, washed him, cared for him, for all this time...
He's given my family unconditional love in return...
It's wonderful and special...

But he is a dog (a.k.a. animal)...
He's NOT a person (a.k.a. human being)...

He doesn't go with me everywhere I go...
i.e. We get invited to dinner at a friends house - He stays home...

I don't dress him in humiliating outfits and parade him around in them...

I let him walk on all fours,
which means that I don't push him around in a baby stroller...
We've all seen these, right?!


We don't get offended if you don't include his name on the envelope when sending us a Christmas card or Wedding Invitation...
Heck! He can't read it, because he's...
You guessed it!!!
A DOG!!!

If you can't come to a function unless your dog is included...
We'll miss you!

We don't carry him around like a baby and he cannot sit in my lap while I drive...
(okay... he's 70 lbs which would make these things difficult, but even if he weighed 7 lbs...NOT HAPPENING!)

I don't get offended when people come over that aren't really 'into' dogs and would rather not have his attention... I have NO PROBLEM putting him in my bedroom (which I generously share with him) when those friends stop by... (I'll even leave the tv on for him for company)

All these things don't mean I love him less...
They just mean that he's a dog
and I'm a person
and (cover your eyes and ears right now if you are from 'the other camp' while I reveal a shocking revelation...)

We are not on the same level
That's the bottom line...
Again - My opinion...

Which camp are you in?