During Christmas, a good friend of me gave me a copy of “Marley & Me” by John Grogan, and it was a very good novel. Especially for dog owners, it’s so easy to relate and find laughter in the description of “Marley” the crazy lab. The most touching part of the novel to me was near the end when the author made the conclusion that dogs are very loyal to their owners and yet they spent over 80% of their time just waiting for their owners to return home.
Immediately I thought of Pretzel and he is indeed a very loyal dog and he indeed spends the majority of his time just sitting at home. Even though I should be giving him a daily walk to wind down his energy, I deprive him of these 30 minutes of happiness when I feel tired, when I don’t want to walk with him, or when I feel it is just too hot to go outside.
I remember the time when I first wanted to get a dog; it was around March & April of 2006. When I was young, I have never really like dogs and am even a bit scared of the big ones, yet I wanted one that year With my parents and my sister gone, I suddenly feel the house is just too empty, too quiet, and I want to feel some life in the house. The months before selling the house, Anna and I lived in a place that is over 3500 square feet, we each took a floor of the house and it has started suffocating me. That January and February was so hard to pass by emotionally and psychologically. Clearly going to bed isn’t always easy, you cannot stop the images and thoughts that circulate around your head; and one day, I decided I wanted to get a dog—the stuffed hippo with beans just doesn’t cut it anymore, I wanted something breathing beside me, I wanted something I can take care of, something that moves and has a heartbeat beside me when I sleep. A puppy is a good solution and suddenly I really like dogs.
Reflecting of Pretzel’s childhood till the day he moved to HK, I cannot exactly say he has a good puppy hood (from sleeping in an enclosed tent to a banana box on top of a stool to being inside a car in a parking lot for the majority of the day), though I fell in love with him from the first day I took him home from the airport. I brought Pretzel home on my birthday, though I didn’t plan it that way, funny how things happened. I love taking him for walks when he was a mere puppy in a little harness, I feel so proud seeing him trotting along beside me like a little stuffed animal. When other dog owners or people out for a stroll see him, they always stop and coo and say how adorable my puppy is and I just feel so proud, so I would take him out for a lot of walks a day, lol. Pretzel has kept me busy and preoccupied and we slowly adapted to each other’s style of living, though I must say I have no separation anxiety and I am not an attention dominator!
I guess reading “Marley & Me” makes me remember once again how precious and special Pretzel is to me and how he has really been there during my low times. Though I cannot quite say he was there to fix my problems and help me continue on with life, I must say he has brought colors and laughter into my life and I am so attached to that little ball of hair. Reading the novel reminds me Pretzel cannot stay a young dog forever! In the blink of an eye, he probably cannot trot around lawns, chase other dogs and just run around freely within feeling the pains of old age. So while he is still willing and energetic, I should give him more attention and bring him out to continue on his free spirit, because it is his energy and joy that makes me feels the happiness and delight of continuing on. He is a little colorful rainbow after a heavy rainstorm.
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