Audioblog: Three Dog Days and Nights

Three Dog Days and Nights, an audio blog by Rob Carson. My family and I have three dogs. Their names are Zoe, Desi, and wait for it, Lucy. That was not by design. They're small, ranging from 8 to around 21 pounds, an American Eskimo, a Shih Tzu. Yes, I pronounce it Shih Tzu. And a Coton de Tuyer. Don't ask. I work from home. Frequently, I get frustrated and occasionally angry, dealing with them as their stay-at-home doggie daddy. Occasionally, I catch myself and realize their wants are few. Go outside, eat, play, stare at the world through a window, and bark at strangers and squirrels. Dogs are beautiful and pure beings. They suffer none of the ills that plague us. We all know them, right? Greed, avarice, envy, hate, anger, obsession with social media, reality television. They do experience these human-like qualities, fear, sadness, and pure, unadulterated joy. The fear comes from thunderstorms, or when mom and dad leave the house, not knowing if they'll ever come back. The sadness while we're gone, or as some sit in shelters waiting for a human to adopt them. The joy as they are adopted, or when their people parents come home. Their lives are pretty mundane, actually, and the only variable in their lives. The center of their universe is us. Long after the joyous greetings of toddlers as parents arrive from work fades into teenagers who give a collective meh, dogs prepare a veritable ticker-take parade. Our dogs give us glorious greetings every time we come home. They dance, they bark, they lick. When you think about it, there are a few things that are better in life. It's hard to acknowledge when your hands are filled with groceries, or you've had a hard day, but no matter how good or bad you feel about yourself, on any given day, when you get home, you are the sun, the moon, and the stars to them. Yes, you, with all of your issues at work, with all of your personality quirks, with your mailbox full of bills and junk, you, as you sulk in front of a mirror, noticing every blemish or wrinkle or fret because half of your clothes don't fit that are in your closet, your dog doesn't care. When you get home, you are John Glenn. You are a World Series team, you are a hero, and the heroes parade you get is every day. Don't forget that, relish it, because in their brief but glorious lives, you are their reason to live. That's a big deal.