The day I was born my uncle gave my Mom a puppy as a gift to honor the new baby. So my Mom had me as a newborn, my slightly older brother, and a new 8 week old puppy to care for, all in the middle of WWII. Other than the first year that I was married, I have always had a dog, my entire life, and often more than one. We've had cats as well, but I can easily live without a cat. Now, at just shy of 77, my dog is just 6 years old and this breed has a normal lifespan of about 16 years.. So I think its likely that this is my last dog.
I understand that there are "dog people" and there are "no dog people". My older brother and his wife had dogs when they had kids at home, but it was always a half hearted effort because they felt is was good for their kids. But their dog never received much more than basic care such as food, water, and a visit to the vet when needed. I never saw my brother or his wife ever play with their dogs nor give them any affection. But I understand that this is just the way some people are. For me, a dog is very special. You will never have a person be as loyal or blindly attached to you as you will with a dog. My current dog wants to be with me or my wife every moment of the day. If I go out to the store and come back 30 minutes later she treats me as if she hasn't seen me in months, all excited and happy. And she earns her place in the home by being alert to anyone or any thing that comes close to the house or approaches our front door. My home has an alarm system, but I think the dog is really the first line of defense and one I appreciate greatly.
Since we are talking about dogs, I'll mention something about different breeds. I've had many different breeds over the years, and some are preferred by me over others. Our Golden Retrievers were wonderful, gentle animals that added greatly to my children's lives as they were growing up. My more recent Standard Poodle was a loyal, quiet and steady companion who never gave us one moment of concern for all of his almost 15 years, and I shed many tears when I had to put him down to end his pain at the end. I've had Pugs who were so ugly that they were cute, and so dumb it was hard to understand that they could survive (and they won't in temps of cold or heat that other dogs easily tolerate). I had a Wheaton Terrier that I could never warm up to, and a Black Lab/Doberman mix that was more like a good hired hand than a pet or companion (120 pounds of fierceness than scared a lot of people). But I have never bonded with a dog as much as with my current companion, a little 12 pound Coton du Tulear. She is just a truly special dog, and interestingly, many other Coton owners have the same reaction. An expensive breed to buy, and one that I was skeptical of doing but my wife was determined to get one of these fun little dogs, and now I am so glad she was so persistent. If you are a dog person, and ever have the chance to have a Coton, you will be in for the treat of your life.
