Where would we be without man’s best friend? What would a world without dogs look like? I admit those are strange questions, a world without dogs is almost unimaginable to me. Well, today is a good day to reflect on that question, or other questions you might care to ponder about Canis familiaris, it’s National Dog Day!
Thinking about a world without man best friend? It’s hard for me to imagine such a place, because to me dogs are family, they are so intertwined in my life as to be inextricable. My dogs have been a part of me. His behavior depends almost entirely on the training I have given him
You know the old trope, that dogs tend to look like their owner? I don’t think it’s a universal truth, but there are plenty of examples to be found all over on the interwebs these days. Google® can lead you there (wink).
Oh faithful friend, Canis familiaris, Loyal companion, ever by our side, With wagging tail and eyes that never miss, A bond between us that will never hide.
With fur as soft as summer’s gentle breeze, And bark as fierce as winter’s icy gale, You guard our homes and bring us to our knees, With love that never falters, never fails.
In fields of green, we run and play and roam, With tongues outstretched and paws that pound the earth, A friendship forged in heart and hearth and home, A bond that lasts forever, from death to birth.
Oh Canis familiaris, man’s best friend, Our love for you will never ever end.
We find ourselves in the “dog days” of summer today, on National Dog Day, and it somehow all seems appropriate to me. At the Baseball Camp I attended in my youth there were a number of dogs owned by the family that ran the camp, (in Gainesville, Missouri) back in the 70’s. In June the dogs would be playful, chasing balls and jumping on “campers” (that’s what we were called.) By August, the dogs were hanging out anywhere they could find shade and a breeze, they couldn’t even be enticed to run, or play, for treats. I feel that way in August too, to be quite honest.
Dog tired on National Dog Day indeed.
I generally hibernate in August, the month is absolute allergy hell for me. I spend most of the month feeling half sick from allergies, even if I I faithfully take every shred of medicine I can get my hands on. Ragweed pollen is the culprit, it is my bane, it attempts to torture my existence (and usually succeeds.)
Of the laundry list of things I’m allergic to, Ragweed is #1, and it comes on heavy in August. I feel sick for a solid four to six weeks. One of my (many) former wives was allergic to corn pollen, she got sick for a month, or a month and a half, right before my yearly ordeal. For at least three months out of the year, the months some folks consider to be the prime months of the year, one of us was absolutely miserable.
Like the dogs, I try to find a cool place to hole up. I prefer shadowed, with air-conditioning, and a good book to read. I take Loratadine in morning and Cetirizine at night during the allergy season, and I also take Benadryl as needed. Singulair is something I take year round, and so is Fluticasone nasal spray. I think all of the individual ingredients from the combination of antidepressants I take have an antihistamine effect too.
I thought about quoting “Rocket Man” here, something about being high as a kite tonight, but that could be easily misinterpreted. Every drug I take is with my Doctor’s knowledge and approval. When you get old it’s a long list, but maybe hiking myself back into shape can eliminate some of them. It could be lifesaving when the liver issues I have are taken into account.
I’m falling apart as I age, but in all honesty hiking is likely to be my tonic, intended to be my tonic.
