About Dogs

One of the best parts of keeping this journal is that I can write anything I want. You would think I would be always be writing about jewelry, but if I’m pondering something else, I can throw it in here, and no one has to like it, or even read it. As it happens, today I am thinking about Dogs. There isn’t a lot to say that hasn’t already been said by people more articulate and educated than I am, so I won’t start extolling the infinite virtues of the canine. However, it’s still worth stating that dogs are the best possible invention ever. William Wegman once said that there are two kinds of photographs, those with dogs and those without dogs. And when he sees a photograph without a dog, he asks, “Where is the dog in this photograph?” That’s how I look at the world in general. Why would you have no dog when you could have a dog? I know that many people are cat people, or feel it’s too much responsibility to add something as complex as a dog to their lives. And they’re not wrong. Especially when one doesn’t have children (which is a whole other magnitude of complex), why voluntarily burden oneself with someone who depends on you utterly for food shelter and care? But as all dog people know, the payoff is far far greater than the cost. However, no one forces you to get a dog, so don’t bother unless you are willing to do the work. It’s up to you whether your dog’s existence is hellish or fulfilled, and it’s a gift to be able to create happiness for someone so easily. Remember that a dog’s  life, like all life, is precious and brief. But don’t let that brevity frighten you; you will learn more than you ever imagined, you will live more than could have been possible otherwise, and you won’t be sorry.