Friday is here and I am excited because Margie, Moose and I will be able to go do great things together. Moose is here restless at my feet as he seems to have caught on that five days of just a little fun are usually followed by two days of endless fun. Well, we do errands around here on Sunday but Moose really likes to inspect the grocery bags as we unload them.

For this first “Fido Friday” I am going to post something passed on to me by the Norris’ on Nantucket. They are great friends of our’s who happen to have Ripley the Golden-Doodle. The “Just a Dog” piece they passed on to me, seemed perfect for what I am doing with Fido Loves.

Just A Dog

From time to time, people tell me, “lighten up, it’s just a dog,” or, “that’s a lot of money for just a dog.” They don’t understand the distance traveled, the time spent, or the costs involved for “just a dog.”

Some of my proudest moments have come about with “just a dog.” Many hours have passed and my only company was “just a dog,” but I did not once feel slighted.

Some of my saddest moments have been brought about by “just a dog,” and in those days of darkness, the gentle touch of “just a dog” gave me comfort and reason to overcome the day.

If you, too, think it’s “just a dog,” then you will probably understand phases like “just a friend,” “just a sunrise,” or “just a promise.” “Just a dog” brings into my life the very essence of friendship, trust, and pure unbridled joy. “Just a dog” brings out the compassion and patience that make me a better person.

Because of “just a dog” I will rise early, take long walks and look longingly to the future. So for me and folks like me, it’s not “just a dog” but an embodiment of all the hopes and dreams of the future, the fond memories of the past, and the pure joy of the moment.

“Just a dog” brings out what’s good in me and diverts my thoughts away from myself and the worries of the day.

I hope that someday they can understand that it’s not “just a dog” but the thing that gives me humanity and keeps me from being “just a human.”

So the next time you hear the phrase “just a dog.” just smile, because they “just don’t understand.”

First published by Richard Biby in The Versatile Hunting Dog, February 2006.