"I'm Not Waiting on a Lady, I'm Just Waitng on a Friend..."

This is not going to be a typical Dan blog. If you crave, and can only tolerate my irrelevance, tune in next week, I'll have some cheese for ya. No, today I'm just going to write down some thoughts I've been having the last twenty four hours.

Last night we had to put our dog Sandy down. Tracey actually did the sad job with the help of our friend Shauna, whom I thank very much. Sandy was twelve years old. She was the first dog Tracey picked out herself and was hers. Sandy was a Shepherd/Sheepdog mix, but she looked just like a sheepdog only a light sandy color. Hence her name. She was a loving yet timid dog that would rather sit at your feet than go running in the yard. As she got older, she developed a shake. This was due to a hyper thyroid problem that would have her on meds for the last three years of her life. About a month ago, Sandy developed a mass in her mouth just below her teeth. It grew to the size of a plum and was causing her pain and discomfort. A cleaning and antibiotics couldn't fix the problem, and that as well as her age led to Tracey having to make the tough call. She was a great dog and will be dearly missed.

Now, we all can say that when someone we know dies, we all in our own way, think about death and people we have lost. Sandy's death though had me thinking about dogs in general. We love them and treat them like a part of the family. But I don't think even the best owner gives to their dog, what their dog gives to them.

If you give a dog even the slightest amount of love, they will give you ten times more in return. That dog will love you unconditionally. They don't care if you're rich or poor, skinny or fat, tall or short, ugly or pretty. To them, you are the world. Unless you beat them, they don't hold a grudge. You yell or discipline them, and they are truly remorseful. Try getting that from your kids. Their loyalty is unmatched. I love my wife to death but I don't jump up and down every time she comes home.

For the cat owners out there, they rock too. I have two, and I love them just as much. The difference is, cats are punks. They're closer to humans than dogs. They have attitudes. Little bastards. But they rock nonetheless.

I guess what I'm trying to say is this: People don't deserve dogs, and dogs, well they deserve more than us.

Til next week, go love your animals, even if it's just your son sitting on the couch eating all the chips.

bye.