We’re back!
I have a lot to share, but I’ll take it slow so that we don’t suffer too great of a content tsunami. First things first, I’ll tie up the Toby story. As I stated in my last post, the House of Rock had the luxury of taking care of Tony’s dog Toby for four days last week. He entered the house nervous as heck and was scared stiff at the huge quantity of people traipsing around his new territory. He spent the first 20 minutes of the visit waiting by the door for Tony and Paulette to come back. Thankfully, he grew much more comfortable once we’d taken him on a few walks and brought out some of his toys – his favorite being a little yellow rabbit which he gleefully ripped to pieces during his stay.
Taking on the responsibility of a dog, limited as it may have been, was a big deal for me on a number of levels. Firstly, it shows a dramatic improvement from my days of complete and utter cynophobia. Back when I was about six years old a blizzard white dog the size of a volkswagen playfully viciously knocked me down while I was at a family friend’s house. I spent the next 15 years of my life quite certain that every dog was satan incarnate.
This may have been a slight exaggeration on my part.
Secondly, last week gave me a small understanding of dog ownership, hopefully in preparation of someday having a dog of my own. It was interesting to experience the complex scheduling required to ensure that you can accomplish all your tasks while making certain the dog is walked, fed, and brought outside within some boundaries of regularity. It’s hard not to enjoy a dog’s company once he or she really bonds with you. After a few days Toby would just follow me around the house. He’d sit on the couch next to me while I practiced guitar and waited by the door if I was taking some trash out.
Even after such a short period of time I was able to appreciate the companionship of a dog.
Someday, once my hobbies and work travel relax a bit, I’ll be able to have one of my own. Until then, I guess I’ll just have to visit Toby.