Tuesday, April 17, 2007

I think I love dogs more than people.

I had the good fortune of meeting a 13 year old black lab a couple days ago named Alex. I think he pretty much exemplified everything I love of about dogs.

He had an arthritic limp, cataracts, and grey whiskers, but generally speaking, he still had that same silly exuberance of a 4 month old puppy. I only got to spend a few hours with him, but during at least half that time, his favorite toy, a stuffed goose, was clinched between his teeth. He must have come up to me 10 times, wagging his tail with that silly little honking goose in his mouth with that look in his eyes that said, "Let's play." Just thinking of him makes me smile.

He reminded me of "Marley and Me," which I read a few months ago. I'll be honest, I cried while I read the last 4 chapters. I don't cry when people die, usually, but when a dog suffers, my heart breaks, especially labs. They teach one the most important lessons about life--enjoy every moment and love the one's you're with. I can't think of anything else that has a heart as pure and true as theirs.

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