“Bear” Taylor, my daughter Madeline, and her family’s Golden Retriever puppy resembled a baby polar bear when he joined the family about two years ago.
Bear
Although Bear is the darling of the Taylor household, he’s most attached to my granddaughter Ruby, now a freshman at the University of Miami. Madeline thought it would be fun to have them visit on Skype. At first Bear was confused, but when he saw Ruby and recognized her voice he went wild. His tail wagged and his bark was ecstatic. He brought her a toy, but was frustrated when she didn’t pick up the toy or give him a hug. He tried so hard to shove the toy down the phone, with no luck.
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I’m amazed at what our animals do for our respect and love.
Of course retrievers are known for bringing wonderful presents to their families. I still have some lovely things that our old Labrador retriever, Bess, brought from the neighbors’ yards, which I had not returned because I didn’t know who the original owners were. One neighbor was distraught because he was missing his expensive hiking boots, left outside to dry. You can imagine how pleased he was when I produced the boots, given to me by Bess.
Lollipop, our gorgeous tri-color collie, was named by my oldest daughter, Lisa, then five. I can still see his bushy white tail wagging, as he boarded the school bus, in hope of attending kindergarten with Lisa. I can still hear her friends yelling “Yay, Lollipop!”
Naomi & Lisa with Lollipop
We later moved to a neighboring town, about seven miles from our old home on the chicken farm. If we were taking a trip we would bring Lollipop to the farm for our employees to look after. It was uncanny how he sensed when we were to return, and would greet us when we arrived at home, walking the entire way.
My son David’s family ‘s beautiful short -haired collie, Cody was the living plaything of his younger daughter, Darya. When she was at the magic age of two she would push Cody down the basement stairs, declaring that it was time for him to take a nap. In less than five minutes, she would open the cellar door screaming, “Come up stairs Cody, your nap time is over.” Of course Cody would come bounding up the stairs smiling, ready for the next punishment that she would mete out to him.
Cody
Who ever had the notion that cats were interested only in themselves? Charlotte, one of our many cats, would share her dinner with us: a half of a snake or rabbit left on the door step. Do you know of any other animal that is so generous?
Yes, our pets show their affection for us in many ways.
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