My dogs and I are very close. Sometimes I think they actually grow out of my side. They are always with me when I am home, whether in my office, the kitchen, or the bedroom; shucks, they are even in the bathroom with me. If I get up to get a cup of coffee, Sofie is right behind me unless I tell her to ‘stay.’ We move as a pack. On the days that I put the dogs in daycare, like today, the first thing that happens is a child wakes up and says, ‘Where are my puppies?’ Then, around mid-day, I start to feel like something is missing: I don’t get my 1-mile walk when they are not home; I don’t go up and down the stairs a million times to let them outside (my StairMaster exercise); and, I don’t go outside to play. How silly is that? Part of having the dogs for me is to help me stay in balance. I am not very good about that. Working in the virtual world, I sit in front of this computer for hour after hour and sometimes forget to get up, to stretch, to take a break. My dogs help me remember to do that. They also make me a better human. They teach me tolerance and acceptance. They make me a better teacher and their existence has made me into a student of animal nature. I have less freedom because of their daily demands, but that is OK. They keep me grounded. They keep me, well…. human. I can not imagine my life without them.
Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo ❤ 
