Life With Seamus

On the first of every month I turn my Golden Retriever calendar over to a new page and a new picture and somehow it makes me want to post about Seamus.  As I write, he is faithfully by my side wondering why I'm still awake.  You can tell that he looks a bit disgusted with me in the photo.  He wants me to go to bed so he can lay beside the bed to guard us through the night.  He used to get into the bed, but alas, those old legs don't work as well as they used to.    

I love this dog.  And all you dog owners out there know just what I mean.  Dogs have a way of getting into our hearts.  Dog love is somehow different than people love.  Not better or worse....just different.  Dogs have no pretense.  What you see is what you get.  Again...I LOVE this dog.

So let me tell you about a story from the very beginning of Seamus' life.  I had never owned a dog although I had wanted one for a long time.  My life circumstances changed such that dog ownership became possible and Seamus entered our lives. 

We had work and school during the day so for his safety and that of our home we set up a room in our basement for him to spend his alone hours.  The room didn't have a door so I used a baby gate to secure him and also closed the door to the upstairs.  Apparently he wasn't too happy with the arrangement. When I came home about four hours later I heard him at the top of the stairs!  Son #2 and I carefully opened the door to discover Seamus at the top of the stairs covered in doggie poop and very glad to see us!  He had managed to chew through the baby gate and climb to the top of the stairs.  But he hadn't yet learned how to go DOWN the stairs, so he waited there for us to come home.  You couldn't be mad at him.  He was clearly lonely and scared and looking for us to make things better.  I carried him outside and instructed Son #2 to watch him in the yard while I cleaned up the mess on the steps and then carried Seamus down to the laundry tub and cleaned him up and held him as much as he would let me to comfort him after his traumatic adventure. 

His puppy hood had many trying moments....like the time he chewed up Son #3's glasses and the TV remote.  But he clearly was loyal and loved us and our company and wanted to please us and make us happy and was counting on us to care for him.   Gradually our lives and our hearts became intertwined until we could barely imagine our life without Seamus.  I miss him when we go away.  Heck, I miss him when he's gone for a few hours to be groomed. 

He's my constant companion, my faithful walking partner; he encourages me to embrace and enjoy life and to see the wonder in the everyday. 

I LOVE THIS DOG.

P.S.  We're linking up with Lily's Quilts so Seamus can meet more of you in blogland.