My family and I are dog people. We have been incredibly fortunate when it comes to the dogs we’ve had in our family over the years. My childhood family had several dogs. My preference is adopted mix-breeds. Personally, my experience has led me to conclude that mix-breeds are a hardier bunch and free from certain health risks. My intuition tells me rescue dogs generally feel and express appreciation for us when we bring them home.
I am drawn to Labradors and Border Collies. Presently, we are blessed with the smallest dog I’ve ever shared my home with. Our dog Pearl is a Maltese Mix who we adopted as an adult. We estimate that she is eleven years old. This is, at best, a wild guess.
One of my favorite things in this world is watching dogs play. Anything from diving into the water, playing fetch, swimming, to catching a Frisbee, can really bring me an overwhelming amount of joy. I realized this consciously for the first time when we brought our Black Lab Mix puppy, Lilly to the Delaware Water Gap and watched her swim out to fetch tennis balls that we threw from the riverbank.
I can’t imagine going too long without having a dog in the family. They can be a lot of work but they do a good job of keeping us moving and keeping us sane.