National Dog Day

August 26.  A SUPER special day – in several ways.  First off – it is National Dog Day.  A day to celebrate us canines -and all the wonderful ways we enrich the lives of humans.  I think no other species on earth is as versatile, helpful, entertaining and lovable as us canines.  We come in a huge variety of shapes (from long and skinny, to tall and lanky…), sizes (from the handheld variety to the small horse trailer size) and colors (black, white, brown, silver, copper and even something called blue merle – to name a few!). 

And just how many of us dogs are there on the planet?  It’s apparently a tough question to answer, because not all countries in the world see dogs as household pets – as is the practice in North America and Europe. In some places in the world there are LOTS of strays who live outside in the “wild.”  Oh the horror.  To think that some poor dogs don’t have a bed to sleep on, or toys to play with….It sure makes me appreciate my home!  Anyway, a gross estimate according to some sources is that there are at least 525 MILLION dogs on the planet.  Yup – there are lots of us out there.  So it is fitting that we have a day to celebrate us!  Mind you….every day is Dog Day in out house!

Speaking of which – today is also a great day because….tum ta tum…my human is home!!!!!!  She got back yesterday – and she looks well rested.  That look won’t last long.  Anyway – the big news – the SCREEN DOOR IS INTACT.  We decided to be good this time.  And all in all – no major catastrophes while she was away.  OK.  One SMALL one.  I broke a leash.  But it wasn’t my fault really.  I went to take the sitter out for her walk – and as I walked out the door, who do you think was sitting on MY lawn?!  The bunny.  So of course I needed to protect the sitter from that fearsome creature and one hard pull caused the old leash to break.  It needed to be replaced anyway.  And I DID come back….

The guilt gifts were good.  Some treats and some new bones.  But no stuffed toys. Maybe for Christmas....

So today - enjoy National Dog Day.  Humans – give your dog an extra treat.  And dogs – give those humans an extra wag.  They really ARE worth keeping. Even when they don't buy us stuffed toys...

©  Linda Wozniak