A while back, I read an article about nicknames people give their dogs and how they evolve. I thought it was hilarious since my family and I had always done the same thing with our dogs.
Lainie. Little Laaaainie. Lainie girl. Little one. Hunny Bunny. Snapping Turtle.
Winnie. Winnifred. Winnie Winster. Ninny. Ninny Ninstuh. Dahden. (this was when the kids were little and had speech sound issues).
Audrey is my current dog. She’s a 13-year-old, 12 pound cockapoo who people usually think is a puppy. She loves to snuggle, go for long walks and dock dive.
She’s my Velcro dog. Whenever I go anywhere in my house, she’s right there. I finally gave up and put a dog bed in my bathroom so she would be more comfortable when I shower. As I’m typing this, she’s stuffed into the chair beside me with her chin on my knee.
This dog has been with me through my divorce, the death of my best friend, moving to a new place and 3 ½ years of graduate school. Whenever I get home from being gone, I crouch down to greet her and say over and over again, “You make everything better! You do. You do.” Oh how I love this little dog. She really does make everything better. Those of you with pets know exactly what I’m talking about. They’re more than animals. They’re friends.
I thought this blog would be about grief over the death of a pet, but I’m going to save that for another day. Today, I’d rather think about how pets can be a calming, soothing presence in our lives.
Here’s a link to an article on that:
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-right-balance/201804/how-dogs-drive-emotional-well-being
And here’s the one on the hilarious pet nickname evolution. I know which one I’d read first!