I think we all need a distraction at the moment, so let's talk dogs and Golden retrievers in particular. Last week was the anniversary of 9/11 and this image from the news almost floored me. The golden retriever suspended high in the air on the way to helping rescuers find survivors in the twin towers. I think it floored me because I am:
Extremely afraid of heights and the picture makes me slightly anxious for the dog
Totally in awe of the golden retriever who is so much calmer than I would have ever been and
In wonderment of how we managed to breed such an extraordinary creature.
Goldies were created to be an unconditional love machine. No matter what sort of day you have had, the moment you walk through the door, there is just excitement from the unconditional love machines and life is good again.
In the list of why they are amazing pets:
Reason number 2 is: “They love us no matter what.”
It is so cool that you can actually breed love in a dog. If only we could get the “I will love you no matter what” DNA from a Goldie or from any dog really and plant it into future generations of the human race.
The only problem I can imagine is that the “I will love you no matter what” DNA is probably mixed with a Goldie’s “I will eat everything even a garden hose” DNA. So while the human race would be very loving, it will also be a very short living race due to a new tendency is eat everything in sight.
In the story of creation in the Bible, I think there is definitely a misprint. Genesis 2 18 says “then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to live alone. I will make a suitable companion to help him.”” should actually be:
“It is not good for humans to live alone. I will make a suitable companion to help them. So God created a dog”
I won’t even start a discussion of that fact that dog is god spelt backwards or the fact that if God is love, then God did actually create dogs is his own image.
Nor will I start the “cat” versus “dog” discussion. Yes, cats are amazing and they make wonderful companions. But find me a cat that can sniff out diabetes and save a child’s life by alerting their parents that there blood sugar is low or a cat that save Koalas from extinction by alerting rescuers where the Koalas are hiding. Find me a cat that will happily be harnessed in a crate a thousand feet off the ground just so they will be "rewarded" for finding an injured human being in rubble.
While the author of Genesis may have the story of creation slightly wrong, God in creating Dog or himself spelt backwards, got something very wrong in creating something so loving that ages seven times faster than we do. My dogs will soon be 9 which is 63 in human years and for the first time in my “babies” lives, they will be older than me. What was God thinking?
Poh from Masterchef was asked in an interview about the greatest loss of her life. It was her dog Zed:
"He went through a lot with me: a really torrid relationship; me building myself up from that; a divorce. He used to lie on a cushion at the bottom of my easel when my visual art career started taking off. He was present for those formative moments in my life....and I remember looking out the window and just weeping. I thought, “I wish I could exhume you to hug you one last time. I don’t care if you’re rotten! I literally do not care!”
There is a special look one of my dogs only gives me when I take him to the vet. He looks me straight in the eyes and gives me the “What are we doing here and please don’t leave me here” eyes. Perfectly understandable given he has had two knee reconstructions and recently had eye surgery.
As my “babies” get older, there will be many more of those looks and my heart will break every time we have to leave one at the vet for an operation or procedure so they can stay in our lives for a few more years.
In the meantime, I will put up with long blonde dog hair everywhere and the fact that I can’t ever wear anything black. I will keep on buying the really expensive dog food created for Goldies (and for obsessive dog owners like me) so the walking eating machines don’t get overweight. I will keep on funding my vet's yearly holidays in Italy.
Why, because it is the very least I can do for all the golden love they have gilded into our lives.
Angie this is one of your best! So beautifully heartwarming and funny :) . My Louis doesn't have the same qualities as your goldies, but I know he absolutley has my back and he engenders so much love. Bless out dogs! BTW, who's that georgous sexy spring chicken who looks like Emily's sister in the top photo???