Emma Jean, my slobbery, energetic one-year old border collie-lab mix, was essentially my only child. She was spoiled to the bone with daily ventures--walks to the park, swims in the river, and was my car companion, even if we were only going blocks away. Emma snuggled between us, under the covers and every morning she would creep her way up onto our pillows. Dale and I loved taking a moment to cuddle as a family. Of course, we didn't necessarily love the morning dog breath.
Since Kannon was born, Emma has been patient with us. She has been ignored. We don't take her out very often. She gets left at home, babysat by the giant bag of pig ears in our pantry. We bribe her with treats, dog bones bigger than her head, and extra scraps. Her daily walks have become weekly and she hasn't had a good butt-scratching in over a month.
Today, Emma went with me to work. She hung her head out of the window and slobbered in the frigid wind. We made a stop at the bark park on our way home and she whimpered with excitement as we approached the beloved park. I remembered what it was like to walk my dog with a the cool breeze in my face and sunshine warming my cold bones. I savored the moment. Throwing her disgustingly sticky frisbee was no longer a chore as I saw how happy she was bounding after her toy. I used to be bothered by the slobber and muddy paws, but after weeks of being covered in spit-up I have given up.
I was happy. Emma was happy. We headed back to the car, both of us smiling at our adventure. We jumped in the car, Emma quickly climbed into the front seat---just like old times. She doesn't hate me. She is still our first "child" and knows she is part of a growing family. Our adventures may be few and far between but she is happy knowing that we can still sneak away for our cherished walks.
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