Every Dog Deserves A Day

Ever since we got our current pup, I've been falling in love with dogs again.  Not that I have ever disliked dogs, it's just that I embarked upon a love affair with cats.  Cats and I share many qualities, after all.  We both like to sleep a lot, we tend to pounce on things for no obvious reason, and we are quick to bring out the claws when we get annoyed.  Also, cats are most comfortable around a select few individuals that they trust, which is the very definition of an introvert.  Which would also be me. I was chosen by my first cat in the late 90s; Isobel(RIP) was sitting on my balcony one morning.  Then came Morris the Irascible(RIP), then Tiger(RIP), then Pip(RIP), then Pounce, and finally Zena.  Along the way we also acquired Lalo and Smoky Bear, who live in the bushes in the backyard.  I never get tired of watching the cats. 

When I was a small child I remember a couple of dogs being around.  We had a basset hound at one point when I was four-ish.  When next we had a dog, it was a daschund named TJ.  (My mother found the minor skirmishes fought by my brother and I over the slightest issue abhorent, and instead of letting us fight over the names of our pets, she issued a decree that we would take the first initial from each of us and that was that.  Over the years, a succession of horses, dogs, and guinea pigs were all named TJ.  Even a turtle or two, and possibly a crayfish.)  When I met my husband, I had Isobel and Morris, and he had Sandy the Wonder Dog, a feisty yellow Lab.  Sandy was used to ruling the roost; I remember several nights when Sandy would literally push me out of the bed.  I had taken "her" spot.  The entire household mourned Sandy's passing; even the cats. 

And now we have this little critter.  She's not so little anymore, although she is still officially a puppy.  She is pretty smart, and except for a few issues, she's been fun.  Dogs are more obvious about their responses to you. and I love watching them, too.  Maisy scans our faces constantly for the slightest micro expression, eager to please.  At least, eager to please if you have food or are willing to scratch her behind the ears.  Cats are willing to take the food and the scratching, but they aren't watching you constantly for signs of approval.  So which is better?  That's an age old question, but really, it's apples and oranges.  I like apples and oranges, and I don't have to choose between my fruit, right?  Same with my pets; I love my cats and my dog, and hope that they are all around for a long time.

All your treats are belong to us

How about you?  Are you a cat person or a dog person?  Or do you swing both ways, at least as far as owning pets?