If I Didn't Have
Dogs
I could walk around
the yard barefoot in safety.
My house could be carpeted instead of
tiled and laminated.
All flat surfaces, clothing, furniture,
and cars would be free of hair.
When the doorbell rings, it wouldn't sound
like a kennel.
When the doorbell rings, I could get to
the door without wading through fuzzy bodies who beat me
there.
I could sit on the couch and my bed the
way I wanted, without taking into consideration how much space several furry
bodies would need to get comfortable.
I would have money... and no guilt to go
on a real vacation.
I would not be on a first-name basis with
6 veterinarians, as I put their yet unborn grand kids through
college.
The most used words in my vocabulary would
not be: out, sit, down, come, no, stay, and leave him/her/it
ALONE.
My house would not be cordoned off into
zones with baby gates or barriers.
My house would not look like a day care
center, toys everywhere.
My pockets would not contain things like
poop bags, treats and an extra leash.
I would no longer have to spell the words
B-A-L-L, F-R-I-S-B-E- E, W-A-L-K, T-R-E-A-T, B-I-K-E, G-O,
R-I-D-E
I would not have as many leaves INSIDE my
house as outside.
I would not look strangely at people who
think having ONE dog or cat ties them down too
much.
I'd look forward to spring and the rainy
season instead of dreading 'mud'
season.
I would not have to answer the question
'Why do you have so many animals?' from people who will never have the joy in
their lives of knowing they are loved unconditionally by someone as close to an
angel as they will ever get.
How empty my life would
be!