One of my recent voice over jobs has been narrating a children’s book called A Puppy is For Loving. A little girl spends the summer at her grandmother’s house and learns all about the miracle—and yucky parts—of birth when Grandma’s dog has puppies. Then they’ve got to find homes for all the babies. “A puppy is for loving and we have to find the perfect home for these puppies,” Grandma tells the little girl. And the very clever title works both ways—a puppy is for giving loving and getting loving.
So of course, as my dog howls upstairs while I’m trying to record, it gets me to thinking about what brings people and pups together. Is there really the perfect family for each dog, and a perfect dog for each family? And who benefits more from the deal—man or man’s best friend? Did you get a puppy to give love or get love—or both?
I guess in our case, we wanted to get love. I wanted a little doggie to be an unconditional friend for my kids. I wanted them to know the special relationship that can only be forged with a furry friend. I hope they have memories some day of long walks with Hershey, games of fetch and ball, and secret conversations they could only entrust to her.
Other people get great fulfillment out of rescuing suffering and unwanted animals so they can nurse them back to health with all the love they have to give those little creatures.
So this children’s story gets me wondering about Hershey. Some of the puppies in the book seem to know what each owner needs—joy, affection, a playmate. And they seem perfectly pleased to provide it. Was Hershey our perfect match? Were we secretly in need of a playful power chewer in our lives? Sometimes (like at 3 am when I’m outside in the rain while she chews on a piece of bark) it’s easy to be uncertain. But then I see her playing with our kids and the cat and it’s hard to remember when she wasn’t with us. I do hope we were the forever home that was meant for her.
I wonder what she thinks. What makes Hershey happiest—to give love or to get love? I don’t think she could ever lap up enough love. She would be by my side all day long if I let her. She’s always happy to see us, and rolls over on her belly several times a day for a rub.
But she’s also always there to give love too, on bad days, rainy afternoons and quiet mornings when a little friend curled up at your feet warms your heart. Just call her name and she comes a runnin’, ever the happy little puppy.
It’s a unique partnership, isn’t it? I remember reading once before that humans are the only creatures on the planet to care for other creatures for the sheer joy of their company. I just hope they get as much out of the deal as we do. Who benefits more? What do you think?
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Have you missed any of the articles in this series?
If so, you can find them at:
The Bringing Up Puppy Series page.
Related posts:
- Bringing Up Puppy Series – What’s In a Name?
- Bringing Up Puppy Series – Two Months in – Hows the Cat Girl Doing?
- Bringing Up Puppy Series – There Until the End
- Bringing Up Puppy Series – Lost
- Bringing Up Puppy Series – Second Thoughts II and Making Up
