"They Say It's Your Birthday!"

"Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole."
Roger A. Caras

by Skip Cohen

It's Sunday and my day to run amok. I rarely write about marketing/business, always going into something more personal. Unlike most Reflections, this morning I really did know what I wanted to write about. Today our Havanese, Belle, is seven years old. Her sister, Lucy, hit seven five days ago.

If you've followed me over the years, then you remember me writing about Molly the Wonder Dog. She was a 65 lb Labradoodle, the first dog I ever got as a puppy. She went to the office with me every day for 13 years. Everyone who's ever lost a dog knows the overwhelming sense of loss and sadness. But today's post isn't about losing a dog, but about the value of all the memories, our photographs, and our videos.

A few months before our vet helped me make the decision to let Molly go, "Vanelli" was here for the weekend. He captured what would become two of the most treasured pictures I've ever had. After Molly passed, for days I'd start each day looking at these two photographs, as if somehow Molly was still here by my side.

Then one day, Sheila suggested it was time to replace Molly with two smaller dogs, so we'd both have pup time when we needed it. I knew I was ready, but skeptical. That was Fall of 2019, just a few months before the pandemic hit. As the expression goes, the rest is history.

Lucy and Belle are full members of the family, but there's something about having two dogs that brings them even more into our lives. We became dog people with a set of daily routines that keep us smiling, even on the toughest of days.

Belle and Lucy were 4 months old when they joined the family. Time really does fly when you're having a good time, because neither of us can believe it's been almost seven years they've been with us. But everything people write about dogs enriching life is true. Sadly, their time with us is way too short, especially considering the priceless value they bring into our lives.

Here's my point: Having two dogs totally expanded and strengthened the bond between all of us. It's non-stop unconditional love all day, every day, and it just keeps getting better. I feel so lucky to have had Molly in my life and now be hanging out with Lucy and Belle.

And to Belle, when she reads this, because I'm convinced she knows all our passwords and is on the computer all the time ordering from Amazon - Happy Birthday! I know Lucy tries to upstage you all the time, but at half her size, you're the Alpha dog. What a kick!

Wishing everybody a day ahead that's filled with memory-making moments. If you're a dog family, get some pics today...there's very little that beats an album of pup pics! And if you're going for one of those eleven-second therapeutic hugs I write about every Sunday - don't forget the four-legged members of the family!

​Happy Sunday...or Monday if you're on the other side of the world.

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"Petting, scratching, and cuddling a dog could be as soothing to the mind and heart
as deep meditation, and almost as good for the soul as prayer."
Dean Koontz