If I Didn't Have a Dog

Author Unknown

I could walk around the yard barefoot in safety.

My house could be carpeted

instead of tiled and laminated.

All flat surfaces, clothing, furniture, and cars

would be free of hair.



When the doorbell rings,

it wouldn't sound like a kennel.

When the doorbell rings,

I could get to the door without wading
through fuzzy
bodies who beat me there.

I could sit on the couch and my bed

the way I wanted, without taking into
consideration how much space

several furry bodies
would need to get comfortable.

I would have money ...and no guilt to
go on a real vacation.


I would not be on a first-name basis

with 6 veterinarians,
as I put their yet unborn grandkids

through college.

The most used words in my vocabulary

would not be:
out, sit, down, come, no,stay,


and leave him/her/it ALONE.

My house would not be cordoned off
into zones with baby gates or barriers.


My house would not look like
a day care center, toys everywhere.



My pockets would not contain things

like poop bags, treats and an extra leash.

I would no longer have to spell the words
B-A-L-L, F-R-I-S-B-E- E, W-A-L-K,
T-R-E-A-T, B-I-K-E, G-O, R-I-D-E

I would not have as many leaves

INSIDE my house as outside.

I would not look strangely at people

who think having ONE dog/cat

ties them down too much.

I'd look forward to spring and the rainy season

instead of dreading "mud" season.
I would not have to answer the question

"Why do you have so many animals?"

from people who will never have the joy

in their lives of knowing they are
loved unconditionally by someone as close

to an angel as they will ever get.

How EMPTY my life would be!