Walk The Dog

Dogs have always been a part of my life. A calming constant part of the landscape. It wasn't until later in my life that I began to explore this relationship that humans have with their dogs and other animals. My husband was the catalyst. When we were first dating, he tolerated the dog I had then. A sweet Pomeranian Chihuahua mix, named Maggie. He had yet to experience a bond with an animal. He instinctively knew that not doing " the dog thing" would be a deal breaker for me. He kept his distance from her. He was always humane to her but just stopping short of connecting with her. When I was forced to put Maggie down during an especially difficult time, I was devastated. I spent the next day in bed, tears for Maggie...tears for everything else, just kept flowing. The kids were bringing me tissues and singing me songs. Rick was kind of puzzled at the missing Maggie aftermath. Finally by afternoon he tossed me some clothes and exclaimed " c'mon were going to find another dog". This announcement was met with a thrown pillow. He was persistent. I can't remember all of the places and dogs that day, but it ended with a soft silvery, delicious smelling Schnauzer puppy. Rick name him Bono. Somewhere during Bono's long life with our family, he began to creep into Rick's heart and psyche. Bono was sweet and forgiving and had a vocabulary that sounded something like a tigger that could roll his R's. Bono lived almost 16 years. The night before I had scheduled to put him to sleep, I invited the kids over for dinner and to say goodbye. I found Rick in the garage. He had brought home diapers, aspirin and some other items that he thought could make him him more comfortable and prolong his life. When I gently took these things from him, he knew he had to let him go. He broke down and cried. For the first time he mourned the loss of an animal. At the time that we lost Bono, our third dog came into our lives. A rambunctious. bouncing, motion blurring Boxer puppy, that we named Lulu. She was life changing . Our family had been going through a very hard period. Our oldest daughter was caught in the grips of an addiction. As a result her three children came to live with us. They were shell shocked and heart broken to be away from their Mother. They would come in the door in the evening looking like they were carrying the weight of the world in their backpacks. Here would come wiggling, silky Lulu. Their faces would change from sad carved stone to little kid smiles. At night she would snuggle in among them and begin to snore. It was a tangle of paws and arms and tiny feet. It was a healing that no-one else could perform but sweet Dr. Lu. Well that was all she wrote, Rick's conversion to dog lover was solid.

This journey revealed to me the incredibly important role that animals play in our lives. They add a rich texture and a soulful peace. We wanted to pay tribute to that.

That is the heartfelt emotion that has become Walk The Dog. We hope that our designs help you celebrate that soul nourishing relationship that you have with your dog(s).

Thursday, October 30, 2008

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