Dogs smile. Cats...not so much.

My grandfather had a series of Border Collies all of whom were named Tippy. One of them is the first dog I remember.  He was a streak of barking black and white who herded the cows across the road from the pasture to the barn at milking time and kept the work horses company in the barn. He was serious about his work.  Then as my childhood progressed, I enjoyed the company of a Boxer who did not object to being used as a pillow or to wearing clip-on earrings for that matter. She thought she was a person -- definitely a member of the family. She was wonderful.   A series of cats followed all of which had their own distinct and rather snotty personalities. I loved them too, although I still bear the scars. Add a St. Bernard mix who was the most ill behaved dog I have ever met, an amazing and lazy Great Dane,  a pair of loyal and loving Boxers and a few more cats along with some horses and various other small animals and that completes the list my experience with pets. That summary seems so weak. It totally fails to encompass the joy and friendship they provided over the years. I feel like I want to tell a story about each one. They certainly deserve that. Maybe some other time, some other place.

Some people say that people come to look like their pets as time goes by.  I vaguely remember a humorous commercial or cartoon that portrayed just that.  I am not sure that is true.  I have seen married couples who have come to look alike, but man and beast -- not so much.  Perhaps I say that because I am most fond of dogs that are so ugly they are cute or of dogs that tend to slobber for no reason. 

Now however -- I think that I have passed the point where I want pets around full time.  My last pet has been gone now for a couple of years and I have come to enjoy my freedom from pet responsibilities.  This last pet was born on my living room couch about twenty-five years ago.  I remember the birth well.  That cat never liked me.  She tolerated me living in her house because I fed her whatever she demanded.  Those of you who have lived with a cat know exactly what I mean.  

So one might wonder then why I just had invisible fencing installed in my yard and in part of my pasture.... To me it makes total sense.  I have a dog that visits often and she is not going to get hurt on my watch. She loves her people - my grandchildren. She loves to run. She is part of the family. She smiles. Those of you who have lived with a dog know exactly what I mean.