I believe most dog owners would agree that it feels really nice when someone says they like their dog. But...why...? Why does it matter?
If you think she's attractive, do you think I am too?
When you like her spirit, do you liken it to mine?
When someone mentions they like her, my heart soars. I feel worthwhile.
This weekend, I thought someone was critiquing my ways with her, and I lost it. Cried like a baby and sought to make them understand. I then tried to look into my dramatic reaction and came up with the truth:
I have put my whole heart into caring for this animal. My whole heart. A giant chunk of my pie chart of time (and another giant chunk of the pie chart for money) - and I need the end result to be appraised at the value I put in -- no, no -- with the Added Value. I need you to walk around my dog like people walk through homes, commenting on the floors and the windows and the doors. Notice her fur, would you? -- I add fish oil to her food. Her teeth are pretty nice, right? Well, the toothpaste she uses has a pleasing poultry taste. Doesn't she walk well on the leash? I used a harness in the beginning of her training, and now she's a patient prancer.
She's my art piece, my project. She's my kid, my life's work, my love. She's the thing I decided to funnel my soul into -- and I'm just asking you to validate what I've done.
*But of course -- there lies the danger. The feelings or worth I have about ME can't be a result of how YOU feel about her. She and I are two different entities. (And as someone pointed out to me, we're actually even two different species. ;)
