Yesterday, I was on the phone with my mom. I headed off a conversation that would have turned into a fight (something very typical for us) by mentioning a cute thing Porter had done that day.
It occurred to me after hanging up the phone that the huge improvement in our relationship over the past year probably had less to do with some magical maturity I had attained at the age of 34, and more to do with Porter and the distraction he provides.
So, here is a thread for listing the surprising things your doodle has done for you.
#1 major improvement in my relationship with my mom.
Wow Penny touching story. It sounds like you both need each other very much! Doodles are the most
incredible companions/family members....I keep waiting for Vinny to turn to me and start talking :) They
have such human features!
Oh Penny-you are so right. After my mom died and then soon after our dog Buddy died, we were living day to day, just going thru the motions of life really. Then one day, our little miracle came to us. An 8 1/2 lb Goldendoodle whom we named Thomas. There was no turning back-we were too busy with the little monster to mourn anymore and he also turned our sadness to joy. You really NAILED it saying "they need us... and we need them".
Permalink Reply by Eva on October 25, 2009 at 7:47pm
Dear Penny,
I'm sorry to hear about your son. I'm so happy for you to find the joy of a wet nose of a doodle nudging you up and about in the morning. My husband gets that pleasure everyday when I'm out of the house heading towards work. They are a very precious part of our lives and I"m glad you found their joy! Eva Dahl
My doodle, Salvo, lets me know when one of my cats is in trouble. This particular cat likes to slip into the fridge as we turn and close the door. But Salvo ALWAYS knows when he does it and lets us know!
We'd had a miserable year starting with the early demise of our standard poodle, Lucy and continuing with the death of my sister-in-law, DH's oldest friend, another friend and then my father. Mom has Alzheimer's, and after Dad died I had to stay with her until we could get her into Assisted Living. During that time, I wasn't able to so much as go to the bathroom with the door shut for fear of what Mom would get into when left alone. Sleep? Out of the question! If she wasn't having a screaming/crying fit, she was messing with the wood stove or going outside (35 below zero) without a coat or shoes.
I finally got home to my husband in February. Mom was in assisted living -- a huge load off my mind, I was back to work but life just didn't have any flavor. And then I got an email from the breeder that she had a puppy for us! Having that puppy to take care of and love really turned things around for both DH and I. Suddenly we had something to look forward to, puppy antics to laugh at and share and a canine companion. We've had Sam for six months now, and I'm grateful every single day for such a wonderful dog!