The Journey
"When you bring a dog into your life, you begin a journey. A journey
that will bring you more love and devotion than you have ever known,
yet will also test your strength and courage. If you allow, the
journey will teach you many things, about life, about yourself, and
most of all, about love. You will come away changed forever, for one
soul cannot touch another without forever leaving its mark.

Along the way, you will learn much about savoring life's simple
pleasures -- jumping in leaves, snoozing in the sun, the joys of
puddles, and even the satisfaction of a good scratch behind the ears.
If you spend much time outside, you will be taught how to truly
experience every element, for no rock, leaf, or log will go
unexamined, no rustling bush will be overlooked, and even the very
air will be inhaled, pondered, and noted as being full of valuable
information.

Your pace may be slower, except when heading home to the food dish,
but you will become a better naturalist, having been taught by an
expert in the field. Too many times we hike on automatic pilot, our
goal being to complete the trail rather than enjoy the journey. We
miss the details: the colorful mushrooms on the rotting log, the
honeycomb in the old maple snag, the hawk feather caught on a twig.

Once we walk as a dog does, we discover a whole new world. We stop;
we browse the landscape, we kick over leaves, peek in tree holes,
look up, down, all around. And we learn what any dog knows: that
nature has created a marvelously complex world that is full of
surprises, that each cycle of the seasons bring ever changing
wonders, that each day has an essence all its own.

Even from indoors, you will find yourself more attuned to the world
around you. You will find yourself watching: summer insects
collecting on a screen; how bizarre they are; how many kinds there
are; or noting the flick and flash of fireflies through the dark.
You will stop to observe the swirling dance of wind-blown leaves, or
sniff the air after a rain. It does not matter that there is no
objective in this; the point is in the doing, in not letting life's
most important details slip by.

You will find yourself doing silly things that your dog-less friends
might not understand: spending thirty minutes in the grocery aisle
looking for the exact brand of food your companion must have, buying
dog birthday treats, or just driving around the block an extra time
because your dog enjoys the ride.

You will roll in the snow, wrestle with chewie toys, bounce tennis
balls till your eyes cross, and even run around the house trailing
your bathrobe tie with a puppy in hot pursuit, all in the name of
love. Your house will become muddier and hairier. You will wear less
dark clothing and buy more lint rollers. You may find dog biscuits
in your pocket or purse, and feel the need to explain that old socks
adorn your living room floor because your dog loves an impromptu
game of tug. You will learn the true measure of love--the steadfast,
undying kind that says, "It doesn't matter where we are or what we
do, or how life treats us as long as we are together."

Respect this always. It is the most precious gift any living soul can
give another. You will not find it often among the human race. And
you will learn humility. The look in my dog's eyes often made me feel
ashamed--such joy and love at my presence! He saw not some flawed
human who could be cross and stubborn, moody or rude, but only his
wonderful companion. Or maybe he saw those things and dismissed them
as mere human foibles, not worth considering, and so chose to love
me anyway.

If you pay attention and learn well, when the journey is done, you
will be not just a better person, but the person your dog always
knew you to be--the one they were proud to call beloved friend.

I must caution you that this journey is not without pain. Like all
paths of true love, the pain is part of loving. For as surely as the
sun sets, one day your dear companion will follow a trail you cannot
yet go down. And you will have to find the strength and love to let
them go.

A dog's time on earth is far too short, especially for those of us
that love them. We borrow them, really, just for a while; and during
these brief years they are generous enough to give us all their
love, every inch of their spirit and heart, until one day there is
nothing left. The dog that only yesterday was a puppy is all too
soon old and frail and sleeping in the sun. The young pup of
boundless energy now wakes up stiff and lame, the muzzle gone to
gray.

Deep down we somehow always knew that this journey would end. We knew
that if we gave our hearts they would be broken. But give them we
must, for it is all they ask in return. When the time comes, and the
road curves ahead to a place we cannot see, we give one final gift
and let them run on ahead, young and whole once more. "God speed,
good friend," we say, "until our journey comes full circle and our
paths will cross again."