Darling companions

I don't quite know how they do it, these beasts who give companionship in exchange for a roof over their heads and regular square meals. All I know is when I peer over the side of my chair and see them there, my heart melts.

I have assigned Willow the title of The Best Dog There Is, and although Dejah is a remarkable dog, the title stands. I have bonded in similar fashion with other dogs (hence "There Is," not "Ever"), but this bond is something else. This is the never-wanting-it-to-end bond, the fearing a day that hopefully is 6-7-8 years away bond. Willow will be 5 years old at the end of March, but I don't remember and can't imagine a time when she wasn't there to chase her blue ball or her orange disk, when she wasn't waiting behind the door to jump and say "Welcome home! Where have you been?"

Willow, Day 1

Dejah, just now 6 months old, was a longtime dream of a companion for Willow. We may have waited a year or so too long, until a time came when Willow didn't care so much whether she had a companion at all. After all, she had us. And why would we need another dog when we already had The Best Dog There Is and center of the universe? But she has come to accept the little crazy one.

Dejah, Day 1

And crazy she is. She goes outside with a muzzle now, to discourage her from eating pebbles and gravels and rocks and sharp stick and mulch, as she did when she was 2 months old and headed for surgery. She has eaten a half-dozen holes in the living room carpet while we weren't looking. We were grateful to find a golden retriever breeder who sold her for an affordable price, because we've needed the money to cover the extra expense she has incurred. 

I don't know how they do it. I just know that days when I can sit home and type on my computer as they stand by (well, actually, as they lay by much like in that top photo) are the better days, and my heart aches a bit on days when I leave them behind. As John Sebastian wrote, they'll never be abandoned, love will always light our landing, and I can depend on them.