This week I met the cutest puppy ever. (And I have met some really adorable puppies in my day.) This little black and white pom pom covered my face with kisses and wiggled his way into my heart. I smelled like puppy breath the rest of the day but I didn’t mind one bit.
Puppies are the best. They love everyone and aren’t afraid to show it. They seem to be happy just to be the center of attention. I had the idea of carving a pumpkin and putting the puppy in it for a fall photo…. I can only imagine how cute this would be!
I have had numerous dogs all my life. I started out with a little mutt named Tiny. He was black and brown with big eyes.
Next came Missy. She was a puppy from a litter my Aunt Bonnie had on the farm. Missy was a mini puppy mill and had a litter of her own every couple of years. It was from her I had the first puppy of my own named Konnel. Konnel liked to chase tires…. not a good hobby for a dog on the Cramer Road… sadly one day he caught one and that was that. He died the conqueror of a Goodyear radial.
Next I had a little black poodle that I named Dugan (as “doo – again”…he was a piddle pot). This was the first dog my family ever bought…. until then dogs were plentiful and free. If I remember it correctly Dugan was also the victim of a tire…. he didn’t chase cars but he also froze in fear and didn’t get out of the way.
My brother Gary and I then picked out a golden lab. He was beautiful and we named him Caleb. Caleb was gentle, affectionate and smart. He liked to wear my giant headphones and listen to John Denver.
I feel lucky that my parents let us have dogs. Many of my childhood memories of hiking through the woods always include a dog or two tagging along the way. Door-to-door trick or treating was less scary with a four-legged friend tagging along.
I was talking to a friend this week whose dog had recently died of old age. She mentioned that now she didn’t have to step over the dog any more on the way to the shower in the morning. It’s funny the things we miss…like people, dogs not only play a role in our daily life they leave an empty space in our hearts when they’re gone.
My nights wouldn’t be the same without Maggie and Maisy taking up half the bed! I complain but I know that I would miss them. Besides Maggie has the perfect Halloween costume for a dachshund…. a wiener on a bun! Peace and Happy Halloween!
Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole.
Roger Caras
Taste of Home columnist Sandy (Anderson) Holthaus lives on a farm in South Haven, MN with her husband, Michael, and their children Zoe, Jack and Ben. Her heart remains on the North Shore where she grew up with her parents, Art and LaVonne Anderson of Schroeder. She enjoys writing about her childhood and mixes memories with delicious helpings of home-style recipes.
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