Puppies, dogs and curly tails

     I love dogs.  I mean, LOVE dogs.  You know how much I love my grandchildren.  It's not like that.  It is different, but nevertheless, I have to use the word 'love' since the humble English language does not have another word to adequately express how I feel about this species. I smile when I see one.  


    Many years ago Mr. G and I were with our girls and three extra teenagers in Charleston, S.C. for a family vacation.  Each morning as I took a walk I would see a lady in a golf cart with a small light brown dog riding with her.  It had little black ears flying in the wind and a look on that smushed-in face like it was smiling.  It was so cute I almost ran after the cart, well, I did run after the cart!  While walking the beach one evening, this little compact puppy came prancing, and I mean PRANCING, down the beach with her owner.  This sweet thing was wearing a pink bathing suit.  I'm not really into dressing dogs, but this was the cutest, funniest dog with a wagging curly tail sticking out of a perfectly made opening in the back of that bathing suit.  She came right up to us and wanted to be petted. This little squat of a dog was a Pug, and her name was Merry Christmas.  I never recalled seeing a Pug, and it was rather funny, almost ugly, but so much so that it was irresistible.  I was smitten.  Every time we saw this puppy I was mush.

pug by jess golden
http://www.imagekind.com/pug_art?IMID=bb3a042b-2c41-44f4-82f6-c6ab96247cd0
  I am sure I bored the five teenagers to death talking about this dog, but I do believe it was a Divine appointment.  Let me finish, lest you roll your eyes!  We came home, and I was to go with my mom down to her family farm for a short visit.  On the way, I told my mother about this experience and she said, "You know, the people that rent the farm raise some cute little dogs.  Maybe you would want to go see them".


   The man renting the farm property came by the house that evening, and low and behold, what kind of dogs do you think he raised?  PUGS.  Well, I certainly made a fool of myself jumping up and down and squealing (you know, the girlie squeal) when he told me this.  He invited us over the next morning to view the current litter of puppies.

    You can guess the rest.......  About a month later, Mr. G, my mother and I returned to the farm a picked up the cutest, roundest, squirmy little brown puppy with  black velvet ears.  We named him Noah.  


     Noah  was the sweetest, smartest, cutest dog I had ever been around. I guess we all say that about our dogs~most of the time.  But, he WAS.  He rang a Christmas bell hanging on the back of the door when he wanted to go out.  He tricked us into getting a treat by ringing that bell, (which got us off the couch) then he would run to the treat jar in the kitchen for a doggie "bone".  He knew when you said "Get in the van" that it was time to go somewhere.  Noah always knew he got the last bite of everything. I mean, everything. Steak, chicken, cookies, pie, and especially ice cream.  He would get his very own bowl if it was homemade.

     When Noah had been in our family for several years, my sister came for a long visit.  (This could be a  very long story, but I'll leave out everything but that we were separated when I was three, she was six, due to a terrible car accident).  She loves dogs just like I do!  She immediately took up with Noah.  While petting him, she said,  "You know, I think we had a Pug when you were very little.  I have a picture at home.  I'll send it to you."


    I was blown away.  The picture arrived, and sure enough, there was my sister and a blurry picture of a dog the exact size of a Pug, with a curly tail.  You could distinguish the black mask and black ears just like Noah's.  My family owned a Pug when I was a baby, and toddler.  Go figure.  My love for Pugs was planted there as a baby, and I had no memory of it.


     Noah was a comfort to me.  He was my shadow and helped me when my children were leaving home to marry or go to college.  Dogs can be a friend, companion, therapist, listener,  and fill the empty nest.  They don't care if you are having a bad hair day and they love you when you are in a bad mood. They lay with you when you are sick, and get excited about things when you have something to celebrate.


     Noah went on to the great park in the sky a few years ago.  I am hoping that God has in His plan to reunite us with our beloved pets.  If not, I will never, in this life or the next, forget the sweetest puppy on earth.