Doggone It

When Mia came to live with me, it was because I needed her protection after a man tried to get into my house in the middle of the night. The sound of breaking glass woke me from a deep sleep to instant awareness, but I instantly felt almost helpless to stop his progress because I should have known he was there before he was able to break the window. A big, barking dog warns off all but the most determined criminal, so I not only had an all-house alarm system installed, but found a dog to be the first line of defense against the outside world.

In the past, I always had a dog, but my relocation to this house was during a difficult time in my life that I didn't want to complicate with having to care for anything other than myself. After the crime, I looked for a dog and found Mia at a shelter: it was love at first sight. I have come to depend on her for so many aspects of my life, but most especially, the unconditional love and protection she shares with me.

I tested Mia's loyalty and tolerance when Daisy arrived via a friend who took her from a callous owner who had tired of her exhuberance. The first three months, Mia and I both questioned the decision-making that brought Daisy into our family, but once Mia put Daisy into her place, life smoothed out. I now cannot imagine not having my girls here with me, nor, it seems, do they doubt that they were meant to share their lives with each other.

A couple of weeks ago, friends were talking about what would happen to their beloved pets if they were to die suddenly/unexpectedly, and it stopped me in my tracks because I don't know the answer to that thought. Neither of my children would take my dogs home to live out their lives as Mia is too old for much change and Daisy is still pretty exhuberant. My children aren't dog people, preferring cats, and both of my dogs HATE cats and would snatch them for a snack in a heartbeat. Neither of my children have fenced yards nor doggie doors, so that would cause problems when everyone is at work and the girls stay home.

Lots of older people have dogs they can care for, talk to, and take for walks, beloved pets that bring a sense of family in the winter years of one's life when so many elderly people live alone for so many reasons. I know that senior living residences encourage family pets to live with their elderly owners, and some full-care facilities even have facility pets they share with residents too infirm to care for them individually. But, I honestly don't know what happens to beloved pets when their owners die and there is no viable alternate living arrangement.

Leonora Hemsley probably had it right after all: earn a whole lot of money and leave it to the dogs so someone can be paid to care for them until it's their turn to head for heaven. I'm not thinking that's going to be in my death benefits' package, but it sure is an issue that's at the forefront of my current thinking.