I'm a Dog Person!

I know there are some people in the world that don't care for animals in general, but for the rest of us, we seem to be either dog or cat people.I am a dog person myself, but not a cat hater. I could have just as easily enjoyed being a cat owner, but discovered in my teens that I am horribly allergic to them. I think they're great pets for small spaces and much easier to care for than dogs in some ways.

For several years I've been wanting a dog of my own, someone small, like a Norwich terrier. I grew up with dogs in the house and they are great companions, so happy when you arrive home, love to go for walks or drives, and someone to sleep on your feet and keep them warm in the winter! First my landlord wouldn't allow any pets, and then when I bought my own place my family wanted me to wait because of my health. It's a good thing I did because I couldn't give a dog all the energy it would need right now. I do get to see my parents' and sister's dogs all the time. They are both mutts, which these days people are calling "hybrids". They are both 15 years old to the month, but are aging quite differently. Bo still thinks he's a puppy, and does a crazy run around the house and all the furniture when he gets home, barks at leaves blowing across the yard, and wants to play fetch. Murphy is an old man. He has cataracts in both eyes and can only see shapes, the vet thinks. He walks into walls and sometimes just walks in circles because he doesn't know what to do. He sleeps all day and doesn't hear people coming or going from the house. Although I grew up with dogs, neither lived to old age. One died of a heart tumor that no one knew about. He was at the vet's when we were on a vacation, so we just came home and were told. The other dog escaped from a kennel while we were on vacation, never to be seen again. Watching Murphy age has reminded me so much of Marley and Me that when I saw the ad for the movie coming out on DVD, I thought of this post. Everything John wrote about Marley getting old is exactly like Murphy, except Murph is so small it's easy to carry him up and down stairs. He stays with me when they go on vacations and he is a great little companion.
I read the book and really wanted to see the movie at Christmas time, but I couldn't walk that far through the lobby and into the theater, so I'm glad I will be able to get it On Demand or from Netflix starting tomorrow. Have you seen it? Is it as good as the book?
Another dog movie that I can watch again and again is Best in Show
which is written and directed by Christopher Guest. I enjoy all of his films: Spinal Tap, Waiting for Guffman, etc. but this one about all of the quirky characters at a New York dog show is absolutely hysterical. So what about you? Are you a dog or cat person?