Monday, September 21, 2009

Marking

As you know, male dogs tend to mark their territory by urinating on the grass, fire hydrants and whatnot.

Until yesterday, I was not sure what qualities human boys and male dogs shared in common.

I found out the hard way.

As usual, I alerted my mother when my baby brother had a stinky diaper and needed a change.

I usually supervise the diaper change just to make sure that everything is taken care of and that the little princes’ bottom stays clean and dry.

It has been fascinating to watch my brother grow longer and longer each time we put him up on the changing table.

As he has grown older, he has begun to more readily recognize my face and voice (well, bark).

With this new sense of knowing, I guess my brother wanted to make sure that another baby did not try to steal his dog.

So my brother did the unthinkable.

He peed on me, just like the male dogs do to mark their property.

Needless to say my mom scooped me up and plopped me into the bathtub for a good scrub down.

Although I didn’t like being peed on, I was touched (literally!) that my brother loved me so much that he wanted all his other baby friends to know!

Friday, September 11, 2009

The Road

When Robert Frost wrote about “The Road Not Taken,” he forgot to tell you that the road may be long, bumpy and convoluted.

Even though we may try to steer away from Frost’s road, sometime we are forced to take the hard road to reach our final destination.

As Frost tells us, the road can change you.

But change is a good thing.

My road to sisterhood has been a long journey and I believe my time waiting for the gift of a sibling has made me a better dog.

Now that I have reached my final destination, somehow the pain of waiting has melted away and what has appeared is beyond my wildest imagination.

Each time my brother smiles at me my heart grows bigger, and I thank the heavens above that I am able to feel such a deep and steadfast love.

When my brother giggles, my limbs flutter in delight and I am amazed that I can feel so at peace.

And when I think of the future and the roads that my brother may travel, I hit the deck and roll all over his baby street carpet to make sure that it smells like me so when he is traveling, my scent will assure him that I will always be there for him.

For no matter what road you travel on, the love and support of your family and friends will help you find your final destination.