Small Dogs

 

Small Dogs

by Craig Willms

I'm a dog lover, always have been. I qualify that by stating I never liked certain dogs. I'm not a fan of pit bulls or dobermans, and I'm not a fan of small dogs, you know those little yappers, aka ankle biters.

All my dogs were large and lived outdoors. I didn't like dogs living in the house. Time passed and our dogs have left us, and we found we were sharing the house with a couple of cats. I was never a cat person either. Over the course of 15 years, I came to love the cats, a lot. I was stricken with grief over our little Bella when she left us suddenly and unexpectedly. Maybe because it was sudden, I felt so much more for that cat than I did any of the dogs whom I loved straight away. That's a study for another day, I'm still unclear of my inexplicable feelings for that, that, that cat.

A year or so later my pregnant daughter asked that we take in her "little" dog to cut down on the chaos in her house. They have two small children and a big chocolate lab already. We gladly took Willow home. Willow is mixed breed with Pomeranian and some other small breed. She goes maybe 6 or 7 pounds if that and is literally a little puff ball. 

We had her a little over a month and I found that -oh my God- do I love this little dog! She is the sweetest animal I've ever known. Never mind that she's extremely well behaved, she is so good as a house pet and sleeping buddy (she has a little nitch in the Lazy-Boy recliner we share). She sheds a little and shreds a little, all of which can be easily overlooked. What strikes me the most about her is that she is 100% love and 100% trust. She is so small that she trusts you unconditionally when you handle her. She never struggles or shows any annoyance. She just exudes happiness. Yes, of course she is a yapper, and suffers little dog syndrome, not understanding that she's tiny. But she is such a joy!

Again, I surprise myself, first cats and now this. I'm not easy to change, being as conservative in my lifestyle as I am with politics. But change is good - in small doses... Willow is about as small as they come.