The other day I was sitting in on a debate in a classroom when a student brought up an interesting argument that I had not thought about in some time. In fact, it was only in the last decade that I discovered this theory that all dogs came from wolves. Throughout the years man would crossbreed them until they had the desired dog. For instance, poodles don't shed so many breeds have been crossed with poodles to create new breeds that do not shed for those with allergies.
It is hard for me to wrap my brain around my 120 pound black lump of love lab having ancestors who were wild wolves. And then look at my precious spoiled rotten shih tzu, Chloe, and picture her with the same wolves. But then when I look at Brutus who is our rescue dog that came from a litter of puppies I rescued the day before Thanksgiving when a storm was coming 15 years ago, I can kind of see it.
The puppies were all huddled under a picnic table in the closed ball park. They were just growling fur balls that followed me in a little line while I walked the trail, so when I was done I scooped them up and put them in my car, finding homes for all but him. My husband is convinced they were half coy dog/coyote. And after some time I began to agree. He is not so far from the wolf chain as I am reminded when he rolls in dead things, kills small things, refuses to learn any tricks like sitting, and will not walk on a leash. So, I guess that is my experiment with the domesticity of the ancient wolf.
The other morning I was driving to work when the man on the radio was announcing that it was National Pet Day. A recent poll revealed that almost 90% of people will forgive their pet before they will forgive a human. This is an alarming statistic until you look into the face of your little fur ball who just pooped on your bathroom rug again instead of her puppy pad obviously because it was softer to wipe her behind on. Simple mistake in judgement. This is why God gave us bleach!
I think one of the most precious parts of having a pet living in your home is how they adapt to your life. And if you are lucky enough to have a cat, which we no longer do, having you adapt to the cat's life. My dogs know me like a book. When I walk in at the end of the day the lab and shih tzu run ahead of me to the coffee pot where I take off my jewelry. Then they run into the bedroom where I change into comfortable clothes and run to the back door because they know my next direction is my plants and patio. And no matter how boring that is day after day after day they are just as excited every single time yipping. "She's taking off her ring! She's putting on tennis shoes! She is going to water the ferns!" What human being would be that excited to witness this?
And the other day when I had 9 month old Liam, Chloe and Chief were so sweet, but man they kept eyeing his toys. Finally little Chloe got up the nerve to meander into my breakfast room while I read Liam a book. In her mouth was her favorite rubber puppy that squeals. I watched her as she eased up to my feet and laid it on the foot stool wagging her tail, and then she snatched Liam's pacifier and took off running. The lab was running in circles cheering her on. When I yelled her name she came back for me to get it from her mouth. Then she took her toy back and pouted in my closet.
There is no human being who is that entertaining. And there is no wolf who is that adorable. I am not sure how we got all these precious spoiled rotten pets, but thank goodness we have them because they make a house a home. And when I say my husband lives in the dog house, it is true because we both do. It's 3,000 square feet with central heat and air.
