The Dogs in My Life

I believe that everything that happens to us happens for a reason. I don't believe in luck or coincidence. Luck is what you make it and coincidence is what happens when you are not paying attention. Anyway, I believe that the people and the animals that come into our lives come in for a reason too. I read a post somewhere about how someone felt about their dogs and it got me to thinking about mine.

Bella, the newest member of the pack is a doll. I absolutely love and adore her. She is goofy and silly and you can not help but smile when she comes walking in with something in her mouth she's not supposed to have. She really is the clown of the bunch and she seems to know it. If she could dress in costumes she would probably put on nursing uniforms just to make us laugh. She is a hoot. I know she came into my life to get me to lighten up. I tend to get too serious and forget to have fun. Well, Bella reminds me everyday to smile.

Little Lola is the momma dog. She takes care of everyone. She is always cleaning ears or faces and generally looking after everyone. She is also the smallest of the three and yet the one in charge. She is here to remind me to 1) take control of my life no matter how big an obstacle may seem and 2) I need to look after others. I tend to focus too much on myself. She reminds me that others are just as important as me.

Then there is Axl. Axl has my heart in a very special way. Axl is damaged. He has fears and insecurities and issues. But he trusts me. He comes to me when he is frightened. When he doesn't know what's happening he looks to me for reassurance. When I'm home during the day he has to be in the same room as me. If I'm out of his sight for a few minutes, he comes looking for me. He needs me. The other two would probably do fine if they ever had to go to another home. But I really think it would break Axl in a way that could never be fixed if he had to go to another home. Not that anyone will ever have to find out. They are all here for life. While all the dogs I've ever had have a place in my heart, Axl holds a very special place because he's a very special dog. Axl has taught me to be patient, loving, and understanding. He has helped me to understand that not everyone thinks like I do. Sometimes you have to dig deep to figure out what's going on. And sometimes just sitting by someone is good enough. He has also taught me to look at the world a little differently. What may seem perfectly normal to me can be a really scary thing to him. I have learned to see those things.

So there they are. What I get from each of them is very different. I do not understand people who say animals have no personality. Oh yes they do. My dogs have more personality than some people I know.