In praise of dogs

Bethany Claire, the "dog whisperer," leads the pack on our back deck.


When we were growing up, there wasn't room in our house for a dog. Oh, we begged, Lois and I, and finally got Chipper, a beagle who was tied up outside where he barked and cried until Dad promised us he'd found a "nice home on a farm in the country" for him when, in fact, he later admitted that he had driven out in the country and let the dog out to fend for himself. I've tried to tell myself he was probably happier, that at least he could run loose and chase rabbits. But I think of dogs as family members, not hunters and not creatures to be tied or chained outside.

Enter Bethany Claire, our family dog lover and authority on all things dog. This girl loves dogs, and as soon as she was old enough, she got her own dog and proved to all of us that she was serious about her passion. Harvard Charles (Harvey), seen below, is now 14 years old and is so obedient that he is like a well-mannered person wearing a dog suit. I've never known another dog even remotely like Harvey, the love of my daughter's life.
In order to keep Harvey all to herself and not have to share him with her husband Dave, she bought Dave his own Australian Shepherd, the intense, athletic and driven Kirby, seen here in a scene from his trip last summer with Beth to "Camp Gone to the Dogs" in Vermont.
Kirby is a tireless dog, a dog with an agenda who comes from a line of proven search-and-rescue dogs. Of course, like all dogs, he bonded with Beth rather than with Dave.

Beth found the perfect dog for me when a rescue woman brought a group of dogs from a "kill shelter" in North Carolina to her veterinary practice. Having an instinct for what makes a dog a good pet, she culled Fiona from the herd. She's a shaggy dog of questionable pedigree, but she's a joy.

But the dog who won my heart and soul was Zach's dog Desi, pictured below in my garage with her favorite moo-cow in her soft retriever mouth. Untrained and strong as an ox, she became a lovely companion to Zach and to me. She died last August, and I miss her dearly. Desi, a Chesapeake Bay Retriever, was loyal and stubborn to a fault, but she was sweet and devoted and goofy.






Wait! There's more. Mitch and Laurie have a beautiful Rottie named Cub. He's something of a rascal but belies the mean and aggressive reputation of Rottweilers. He is their third Rottie, following Mia and Ilsa, both of whom died of cancer.


The newest member of the family is a delightful old beagle Beth rescued for her dad. Barney is, by Beth's description, a "regal beagle," and she had a hard time parting with him after she found him for Steve. But she's a good daughter, so Barney is sharing his golden years with her dad. Meet Barney.


If there's a lesson here, it's that you can't have too many dogs in the family. If there's another lesson, it's that if you have this many dogs in the family, you need a family member who is a veterinarian.