A Dog Day Afternoon: National Dog Day

Are you a dog lover? Have you ever wondered what life would be without dogs? Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve always had a dog as a pet. In my mind, a house is not a home unless a dog is living there with you. My earliest memory of my love affair with dogs has to be when I was living with my family in a very “urban” New Jersey town. There were several abandoned buildings between my house and the Catholic grammar school I attended. During my walk to and from school (children were allowed to do that back in the day), I would always come across a stray dog or two. I would save food bits in my “Scooby Doo” lunchbox to feed them, because even as a child I knew they were hungry. One time I found a mother and her puppies in an old bordered up house, and I would squeeze through the iron fence to reach them in the front doorway. I would play with them every afternoon after school until they weren’t there anymore. I never knew what happened to that dog family, but those afternoons with them will always be a happy childhood memory for me.

At the age of 10, my mother moved us to “suburbia,” a quaint small town in New Jersey. It was there that got my first dog Quincy. One afternoon I had accompanied my mother to the grocery store. A lady had a black lab puppy in a shopping cart in front of the store. She was asking shoppers to take this puppy home, because she couldn’t  keep it. I looked in that cart, and there was a tiny black ball of fur wrapped in a powder blue blanket. The little puppy looked up at me, and I knew immediately that this dog had to be mine. My mother and I listened to her story, and with a little begging we took that puppy home the same day. Actually, that day was the start of my love affair with dogs. I named that puppy, Quincy (after the medical show with the same name starring Jack Klugman - from The Odd Couple TV show), and immediately fell in love with him. I fed him. I trained him. I held him. I talked to him. I walked him. I took care of him. I loved him.


My mother was a gracious host to the animal farm in my head and in the house. I had convinced my mother to allow me to keep the puppy, and later she allowed me to keep a plethora of fish, a beautiful Dutch rabbit I named Oreo, and many of my classroom pets that always seem to be in my home during school vacations. Thinking about animals was all I could do as a child, and I would draw pictures of the animals in my mind's eye to display on the refrigerator in our home. I even watched TV shows with animals – Lassie, Mr. Ed, and my favorite was Snoopy from Peanuts. I was only 10 years old, and all the animals in my home were my responsibility. I always felt so proud and happy to have my pets around me. They gave me years of happiness, and for a shy little girl from the big city - that meant the world to me.

Since my childhood dog Quincy (Labrador Retriever), I’ve had Cham (German Shepard, Collie mix), Aurora and Missy (Rotweillers), Lucky (Cocker Spaniel), Taco (Chihuahua), and finally Foxie Boy (Chihuahua). Today Lucky and Foxie Boy live with me and my family in a beautiful home in Suburban NJ. My daughters, S and N, have definitely gotten the doggy love bug from me. I initially got Lucky for S as a little girl, Taco and Foxie Boy were definitely for N. Last school year, N chose a back pack with two brown Labrador puppies on the front. Dora and Hello Kitty came in at a distant second and third respectively.  N is a dog lover in training for sure.

N and Taco playing in the backyard last summer.

One afternoon two years ago, I went to see a lady that had Chihuahua puppies for sale. She lived in the most quaint little Jersey Shore town I've ever seen. When I entered her house, and she led me to a room with a sea of puppies all huddled together in the corner. Every time she reached down to get one, the whole pack would run to another corner of the room. It was hilarious to watch those little Chihuahua legs move so quickly across the floor. During one of the puppy shuffles, I reached down and scooped up this shaking ball of black, white, and tan fur. I sat on the floor and held him up to toward the daylight shining through the oversized window, and we were face to face. I knew at that very moment that little doggy had to be mine. He came home with me that same day. My husband named the puppy, Taco, because of his extra small size and the fact that his doggy ancestors are from Mexico. 

Foxie Boy relaxing in the kitchen.

My husband named Foxie Boy too. We agreed that Foxie looks like a very good looking Fox, and Nylah added the "Boy" that stuck kind of reminiscent of "Boy George's" moniker (because he so gorgeous and he's a male dog). My husband jokes that the newest member of our pet family, Foxie Boy, is the son I never had, and I know he’s right. Before my husband announced that he didn’t want any more children a few years ago, I just couldn’t understand the term “pet parent.” What is that? How can a human being be a parent to a dog? a cat? a Bird? But now that I think about it, that’s exactly what I’ve been since I was 7 years old taking care of that doggy family in that abandoned building around the corner from my home in that very "urban" New Jersey town. 

Of course I know that a dog can never be my son, but every one of my dogs were/are a part of my family. In fact I’ll go so far as to say that a house is not a home unless there is a dog living inside with you. Yes I said it (sorry cat lovers). Dogs hold a special place in my heart – always have, and always will. A family home is the perfect environment for dogs. Have you ever wondered how dogs make the transition from family to family almost effortlessly? After watching countless episodes of Cesar Milan and "The Dog Whisperer," I know that Dogs love to be a part of a pack. A pack  - whether human or animal - is a family. More importantly, when children learn to take care of a dog, they learn a life long lesson about caring for all living things - people, animals, plants, and the earth. If you want to raise compassionate, loving, caring children, then get them a dog. In my opinion, every child should have a dog.


Why do I prefer dogs over cats? Having a dog as a pet is like having a best friend for life. All of us need love, and dogs give love to us all. When I turn that key in the lock of my house, my dogs are waiting there to greet me with the unrestrained enthusiasm of a Justin Beiber groupie. For about five minutes I am their biggest fan. I could turn right around, go out the door, and then come back in the house to the same revelry I received just five minutes earlier. My dogs show me this level of love each and every day, and I do the same for them without jumping on them of course. How many of you dog lovers have had the worst day imaginable, but your troubles seem to melt away as soon as you pet your dog? Have you ever been sad or sick, and your dog didn’t leave your side until you were better? 

 N dressed Lucky in a wedding gown. 

Dogs are the most resilient, lovable, loyal, and caring animals on the face of the earth. No matter how terrible they were treated in the past, they seem to be able to love their caregivers unconditionally – once the people and the environment change for the better of course. Case in point, Lucky was rescued at the age of 4 from an animal shelter in New York. One afternoon I packed some chicken, left my apartment in NJ, and took the 1 hour 30 minute ride to an animal shelter in Long Island, NY. The lady let me take a small black freshly groomed cocker spaniel outside the facility for a walk. He was so happy to be out of that cage that we almost ran away from the building. I bent down to get a good look at him in the sunlight, and to my surprise that little black dog’s eyes were tearing. I lifted up his snout to look at his face, and I knew at that very moment that this dog had to me mine. Lucky came home with me that same day. I knew nothing about Lucky’s prior life, and he knew nothing about my current life. Lucky was so well trained that I knew he had been a part of someone’s family. Training that thorough had to be professionally done. It makes me sad even today to think what could have happened to get him landed in that shelter, but 8 years later I am so glad he was there waiting for me on that hot July afternoon in 2004. I named the little black dog Lucky because we were so very "Lucky" to have such a great dog join our family. Do you consider your dog to be a member of your family? I sure do.

I guess many dog owners feel the same way I do about dogs being a member of the family. Today many pet parents across America are celebrating “National Dog Day.” In the past I may not have even thought twice about taking a day to celebrate dogs, but know that Taco is gone I say YES to this doggy celebration. Why celebrate a dog? Why not? Even plants like special treatment. In honor of the celebration I picked up a plush football toy for Foxie Boy at Walgreen’s today, and Lucky got a special dinner with “human” food (he loves his belly full LOL). If they could talk to me right now, I’m sure they would say, “Rank Rouuu.”

No I’m not crazy, but I am crazy about dogs. Have you ever looked into a dog’s eyes, and actually felt your souls connecting? If so, I would really like to know because I’m thinking that it’s just me. It hasn’t happened with all of my dogs, but it has happened with three of them. Can you guess which ones?