Mary Ann Hayes

 

 

These are my dogs, the best little buddies a person could ask for. Rita is on the left, Maggie on the right. Without these two, I would be the size of the Goodyear blimp. They are, first and foremost, my exercise program.

Rita and Maggie rise and shine with the crows every morning. That’s early around here. With the sunrise comes the yawn and stretch of the crows. They have a tendency to hang around on the deck railings bight and early so as to drive the dogs crazy. The barking begins as does my day. Two cups of coffee later and we’re out the door for a good three miles. Rita is never done, never tired and always begging to keep going. Maggie, on the other hand, has short little Corgie legs and has had enough by the time we reach home. I like to get some writing done first thing, so we head into my office and get to work. Their job is to curl up on my sofa and listen to me read as I write. Normally this puts them right to sleep, but they put up with me for a few hours.

In the winter, one of the best thing they do for me is curl up real snug for naps. I must admit, in those long dark days I put myself to sleep every now and then. One dog curls into my stomach and the other curls into the bend of my knees. I hardly need a blanket. I could stay like that for a good long time.

These two pound puppies are social butterflies. Every day, early afternoon, they go out the door to pay social visits with the neighbors leaving me behind. I cannot believe how many people feed Rita and Maggie. They are always walking around with dog biscuits in their mouths and they didn’t get them from us. Sometimes, Rita likes to visit with the neighbors right next door and act like she lives there. She goes in their front door, through the house, and out on to their deck. Then I look over and see my dog and she sees me and she lays down to take a nap with them. They think it’s quite funny and reward her regularly. I don’t know how it is that she isn’t fat. Sometimes she hangs out so long I have to go get her. Then she remembers who she belongs to and is thrilled to be home again.

The other good thing about Rita and Maggie is their sweet personalities. No matter what, they love us. We can be gone for thirty five minutes, walk in the door, and they will act as though we’ve been gone for a week. It’s crazy but so sweet it makes me laugh every time. No one loves quite like a dog. It’s simply unconditional and wholehearted and true blue. I think they’re one of the best parts of life.

If you’ve never had a dog, you’re missing out on one of life’s greatest joys!

Later,

Mary Ann