Happy Mother's Day
Sunday May 13th is Mother's Day.
It is also my dog Madison's tenth birthday.
Pardon my language, but I consider myself to be a bona fide surrogate bitch!
By definition, I am referring to a "female dog" rather than a "malicious, unpleasant, selfish person".
In terms of Motherhood, I have not actually given birth to any human babies.
But I am the proud mother of 7 canine kids.
Yes, I have raised a virtual litter of puppies over the years!
With those credentials, I qualify as the "bitch" that I am today!
Unlike human offspring, dogs are fiercely loyal, forever grateful and eternally optimistic. They give their love and affection unconditionally.
From the time I graduated from Nursing school (1971) to present day, I have fostered an uninterrupted succession of dogs in my life.
I used the money from my graduation faculty award to purchase my first pet-
an Old English Sheepdog named Oliver Luv.
The movie
Oliver won best picture that year and was a favorite of mine.
He looked just like the star of Disney's
The Shaggy Dog ...and I loved him with all my heart and soul
I had fantasized for years about owning my very own dog.
So deep was my want and need that I used to walk around town dragging a piece of rope, pretending there was an actual dog at the end of it.
During church services, I would daydream about God sending me a Lassie look alike.
I would imagine the dog floating down from Heaven in a parachute, right on the alter, with a note from the Lord granting me His divine intervention and permission. Who could argue with God?
I also used to ride my bike while using just a rope to hold on, pretending it was a horse. But that is another story, one filled with injuries and regret. Don't try this at home, kids! Definitely not recommended for the faint of heart.
My second dog was another sheepdog named Spring Olivia.
At the time, I was living in Rocky River with my brothers on a property with two shared cottages. I will never forget my prestigious address: 555 Yacht club drive!
It was rather like a commune with "guests" coming and going through a virtual revolving door.
I swear to this day that Danny and a long lost girlfriend (gogo dancer) took up residence under the pool table! They decorated with colorful sheets to give it a private yet gypsy like ambiance. He denies this, but will admit to sleeping on the floor of a closet. Either way, it was indeed a unique and creative living arrangement.
I would return home from work many a night to find dozens of visitors in various stages of "recreation" lying about the yard, with my dogs loose among them. I often wondered if the dogs enjoyed the same "refreshments" as they did. Spring never was quite the same!
I moved out in 1974 and had to leave Spring behind, as the apartment I rented only allowed one pet.
After several months of "weekend visitation", I felt sorry for her and took her home for good.
The apartment complex never caught on. They even complimented me on how conscientious I was walking my supposed "only dog" so frequently!
I lost Oliver in 1982 and switched from sheepdogs to Shih Tzu, a delightful, long lived toy breed with noble Chinese ancestry.
I bought a couple and named them Sherlock and Molly.
To this day, I have no idea why I choose English names for dogs that originated in China. (Better to have named them Yin and Yang)
They were soon married and later produced two fine litters.
Does that make me a "Grand bitch"?
We celebrated with lavish annual birthday parties- open invitations sent to both humans and pets alike. Strictly BYOB (bring your own bone)
After raising four dogs with virtually no detectable skills or talents, Ouzo entered my life.
She was a Black Labrador Retriever and smart as a whip! She was top of her class in obedience training and was my first pet that could walk at my side without a leash.
Because she did not require the constant care and attention to grooming as the others, Ouzo could accompany me to the Portage Lakes parks and walk the trails. True to her name and breed, she would retrieve anything and everything from tennis balls to Frisbees.
Ouzo was a true athlete- she loved to swim and would do countless tricks in endless repetition simply to be rewarded with a "treat"!
Next came a Golden Retriever Mad Max. That about says it all.
I adopted him when he was 1 1/2 years old and I take no responsibility for his early upbringing.
My favorite "Max" story was the day my neighbors knocked on my front door and complained, "Your dog took my glove and he won't give it back!"
He was incorrigible, testy, possessive and would bark incessantly whenever I turned on a video recorder.
I won't get into specifics, but let's just say he had a bad habit concerning lingerie. He had serious pica and could swallow anything from a lambswool toy to a raw chicken breast in one gulp.
He was quite the character and we laughed hard and often at his silly antics.
And that brings us to Madison's Chocolate Moose, named after the street I grew up on and my favorite desert.
At ten years old, Maddie is Diabetic, partially blind and deaf, but she remains sweet natured and well loved.
I know she is not my last and that wherever I go in life, there will always be a dog at my side.
