[BellaDonna]

If I Didn't Have a Dog... or Cat......
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 fur 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

six 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 it ALONE.


My house would not be cordoned off

into zones with baby gates or barriers.


I would not talk 'baby talk'. 'Eat your

din din'. 'Yummy yummy for the tummy'..

My house would not look like a day-care center with 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,, W-A-L-K,, T-R-E-A-T,, O-U-T,,

G-O,, R-I-D-E,, C-O-O-K-I-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!!!