The Dog Chicks

And this is why it’s always so much fun to meet Doggers!

I was just talking with my friend Jamie who’s family has been taken over by a 6 pound Maltese named Lucky-Dog. They’ve had him for about 2 years now and his impact on all the humans in *his* home has been tremendous. My favorite story is about how Lucky-Dog loves to sit on her fathers shoulder as he watches tv and her poor Dad tells L-D that ‘he has no food’ and Jamie always shoots back that *He loves you Dad!*. Jamie’s Dad isn’t the hugest Dogger on the planet but he does love his Lucky-Dog.

Watching families drop off their Dog or Dogs at the kennel was always an experience and most often in a good way. I love watching the way that business men and women are so in love with their Dogs that they become all mushy and human when they have to leave them. I love that they send them with special toys and t-shirts that smell like their parents. And it’s interesting to watch the Dogs that are so happy and stable that they have no idea how difficult it is for their people to leave them. On the flip side, it always makes me a little bit sad when I have to take Dogs into the kennel when they are clearly going to miss both their people and their home…..but the reunion is always fantastic.

Thinking about this reminds me of one of the most poignant reunions I ever had the gift of witnessing. An older Shepherd/Yellow-Lab cross was in kennel 25 when I got to work after a day off. I had no idea who his Person was but I loved this Dog. His name was Lucky. Lucky had the air of a senior Dog who had hardly had a bad day in his entire life and who was very serious. He seemed a little bit concerned about being where he was but we all took extra time to care for him and to give him the attention that he needed. Sunday, when Lucky was going home he got the basic kennel bath which included no extra brushing but myself and Jonathan, a young kennel worker with an enormous heart, gave this dog the bath and grooming of his life. Lucky was shedding like a machine at the time and we combed and brushed him like he was a million dollar show dog. About 10 minutes before the kennel closed an older man walked into the lobby using a cane. While I looked up his invoice he had to sit down because standing was difficult for him. I didn’t even connect that this was the Lucky’s person until I went to get the Dog.

I can’t even tell you how this man’s face lit up when he saw his baby looking all clean and beautiful….there is something poetic about watching people who love their Dogs reunite with them. Lucky had come to the kennel a *big hairy monster* and he got to go home a beautiful prince. I don’t know anything about this man or his Lucky except that they love each other and that they are both nearing the end of their lives. Knowing that is all I needed to know and being able to make that Dog look so pretty that his Dad’s eyes lit up was enough to make my day and my week and it still makes me smile.

The best part about working in a kennel is the wonderful relationships you get to become a small part of when you’re caring for the member of the family who can’t go on the cruise or to Disney World.