"king"

There's not a day goes by that I don't think about our dearly departed Ben, he was our constant companion for many years. I miss his sweet little Cocker Spaniel face at the door as I pulled down the driveway, he'd be looking for me♥♥♥ When I cooked he'd lay in the doorway waiting for a bite of whatever♥♥♥ When he saw us pack the cooler, he knew he'd be getting a boat ride♥♥♥ I miss him. He was a rescue dog, he came to us by the way of our daughter Amy. I didn't want him at first, but my husband insisted that he needed us. "Staying in an apartment for hours on end is no life for a dog"... his words exactly! We've had many pets throughout the years- dogs, cats, birds, fish, hamsters, rabbit, horse, I even count the chickens, ducks and calves since we spoiled them too! Our horse Apache would have loved to come in the house, he had an affinity for spaghetti and Pepsi... don't ask!

It's easy to let a pet become more, in no time they are a member of the family. If you've ever watched the Dog Whisperer with Cesar Milan you see what happens when we allow pets to rule our households. The pets turn into unruly, unhappy animals who become so unbearable that many times the owners have to give them away. It always amazes me when Cesar walks in, assesses the situation and tells the dog "no." He doesn't ASK the dog "no," he tells the dog "no"... big difference.

You may have noticed I've added our local Animal Shelter to my sidebar. Our daughter's family have a new cat thanks to a visit to the Lowell facility. Lebowski is a beautiful 7 month old Tabby who had never known life outside the shelter. He came to them as a newborn kitten... that means he had never napped in the sun, he had never set on a windowsill and watched the birds, he'd never been in a area larger than his cage for any amount of time. But just like Ben, he adapted quickly to a loving family and after a month now he has just enjoyed his first encounter with the outside. He explored the backyard and under the bushes. He checked out the deck and his favorite spots to "sun." He's king, just without the capital "K!"