My.... Conversion, of sorts...(Pet lovers, read and enjoy!)

While growing up, I was never one of those kids who dreamed for hours, of having a dog....Oh, sure, I went through a brief "dog phase", as well as a brief "pony phase", but all I really wanted was my very own cat.


At thirteen, my parents obliged me.... and, then we went on to adopt 2 additional cats before I moved out and married Don.

 Don, on the other hand, grew up without pets....well, maybe a few frogs, but.....no furry friends.




Shortly after we moved into our first apartment, he adopted a kitten....for me, supposedly.  But, that would not satisfy his long-suppressed desire to own a dog.  I could not understand this, as I thought cats were just wonderful!  Who needs the responsibility of a dog, anyway... Right?

C.J., 4 yrs.

Well, less than five months after purchasing our first house, with our twin boys at just 8 months old, we began scanning the classifieds (no social media or thousands of websites at our fingertips in 1997!) for our first dog.

Being the detailed-oriented, cautious one, I researched breeds and checked out books on puppy training and care.  One evening, between feeding, bathing and diaper-changing my very active babies, while Don worked 2nd shift, I found an ad placed by a local breeder of golden retrievers.... I called... 

There was one pup left - a male.  We would just go "meet him" on Saturday morning.

Little did I know.... that 9-week old puppy would melt my heart and turn me into a lifetime dog lover!

Oh, sure, we made a lot of mistakes with him.  But, dogs are so forgiving.....He matured into an awesome companion for both Don and me.  A terrific hunting partner, an eager playmate, and a sweet comforter, sticking by my side when I was going through some really tough stuff!

C.J. was our first, but definitely not our only dog.  Of course, he holds a special place in my

Ginger, age 2, with her litter of 11 pups

heart...but, then again, so do each of them.  There was Scooter (who died tragically, quite young), Ginger (who is almost 10 years old, now), Buddy (my faithful German shepherd who passed away 4 years ago), and Mac (our silly almost-4 yr. old pup).

We raised a litter of pups, courtesy of Ginger and Buddy (Oops!), and we also helped in the raising and training of several service dogs.


Yes, it is safe to say that my "conversion" is complete. 

Mac, 3 mos., introducing hunting with chukars.

While I still enjoy cats and even feed three....one doesn't own cats - cats choose to grace you with their presence!).....I can't imagine my life without my dogs!

Mac, 1 year

Ginger, 9 yrs.

Smelly, hairy, slobbery, messy and sometimes loud and destructive.  Yet, so very entertaining! They are also playful, sensitive and comforting companions, with unmatched devotion and loyalty.

Earlier this week, thanks to my new friend, Brianne, I had the privilege of playing with a litter of 4-week old pups, whose mama, Rozy, is as lovely as her owner.

photo courtesy of Brianne Good

Hmmmm, could there be another canine companion in my near future???  {wink, wink}
We shall see.....








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