Tanner, the Makulit...Love of a Dog

That's my boy...Tanner. Another day at work, after waking up at 5:00 AM for the opening shift, getting through the day without too much trouble, and looking forward to some rest after a long day. NOT!

Oh, it's nice that Tanner meets me when I come in the back door, and he sits up to give me a great big hug. In fact, it's one really important part of my day that I look forward to. Moments of pure, unconditional love. Then of course, it's time to go out, because my boy has been waiting for hours for this moment too, and what relief it is for him. We usually take a little walk, and play a little in the yard, though not as much right now as it's winter, and it's a little too cold for me to stay out for any real length of time. But we are still able to get our bonding time together.

Now for the next treat. You see, Tanner knows I work as a restaurant manager, and he also knows he gets his grilled chicken breasts for dinner when I come home. Little wonder that he hasn't touched his Purina all day, the bowl is still full. But, after he finishes his chicken breasts, that's the Purina time.

Now I get to sit down and relax on the couch for a little while, watch some TV, and simply rest. Oh, let's not forget the makulit....there has to be 120 pounds across my lap, turning to lick my face, and don't even try to stop scratching his head, oh no, that won't do. But can I get mad at him? No way! Just more unconditional love.

OK, let's play the banjo for a few minutes. He's always ready for that. So as I play, he sits in front of me and watches until I nod my head, then he begins to sing along. This happens usually several times during a song, and believe it or not, he knows most of my ending licks. As I start one, he comes up to me, and as I finish my last note, he lays his head on my lap so I can tell him what a wonderful singer he is. It doesn't do a lot for my concentration when I practice, but again, how can I get mad at him for joining in.

Let's fast forward to bedtime. Now I really get to relax. I just finished my shower, I'm tired, so I lay down in the bed, usually to read. But first things first. When it's time, he's already on the bed waiting for me. It's treat time! First the 2 butter cookies, then the rawhide stick, and lastly a couple of snausages. So now I can read. Oh no, not yet. Now we have to play. It's snuggle time, so after rolling around and again laying all 120 pounds across me while I scratch him some more, he has to do his cuddle. That's when he comes and lays across the pillow with one leg across me and the other behind my neck, to make me totally available for all the dog kisses he can muster. You have to understand, all these things are nightly rituals, and he must do them without fail or he just can't rest.

Well, after all this, I actually do get to read, he goes to the end of the bed, and we sleep until the alarm goes off again. Snooze button? Who needs it. My makulit is right there, standing beside the bed, looking me in the eyes, with his tail thumping against the dresser like a drum until I open my eyes and decide to get up. A couple of mornings I have told him to go and let daddy sleep some more, but that just brings out the squeaky toys next to my head. Have you ever been in that place between sleep and waking, and had a stuffed monkey 6 inches from your head going "squeak squeak squeak".... well, nothing to do but get up and start the day.

My makulit boy....there's nothing like unconditional love.

More About My Boy... Tanner

Seldom in my years on this earth has anyone or anything been such a close part of my everyday life as my best friend, Tanner. As a companion, he's loyal to a fault. As just simple company, he makes my every day brighter. I'd have to say he was a Godsend to me, if only for the pure joy of being shown what unconditional love really is.

Now, I'm sure that there are pet lovers out there who might stop by and read this from time to time, and if that's the case then you already have an idea who Tanner is. How we got together was that I rescued him from a shelter as a young pup. For eleven years I had a Siberian Husky named Yukon, and over those years we developed a relationship of respect and dedication to each other. Again, if you're a pet lover then I don't have to explain this. Anyway, old age finally won out and I had to have Yukon put down, this was the day when you would have seen a grown man cry like a child. I came home to a house that suddenly seemed completely empty and quiet, and there was a presence missing that I couldn't have understood beforehand. So after a few days of this emptiness, I called a friend who works at the local animal shelter and was telling her my story, she immediately said "there's someone you have to come meet." The someone was, you guessed it, Tanner, my Golden Retriever.

She let us go out to an area to play and get acquainted with each other, and it was just great. It seems the owners had moved and not being able to take him along, left him at the shelter hoping I suppose that someone would find and take him in. Well, we did our business there, out to the jeep and he was ready to ride. That's the first time I realized how he loves to ride, so now it's just a regular thing, him and me going through the drive thru where the waitresses all know him by name.

He has his own personality, and I have to say I have never seen a more loving or devoted dog. He meets me every day when I come home from work, we have our regular routines each day, and at night he knows exactly what to expect with treats and such. There are actually times when I wonder if he realizes he is a dog at all. We watch TV together, when I'm on the computer, as now, he's laying at my feet under the desk, and believe it or not, he has really become a bluegrass lover. He will lay and listen when I'm playing around on the guitar or piano, but when I play the banjo he stands and watches, when I nod my head he sings, he has even learned most of my ending licks to songs so that when he hears that he knows it's time to come up and be praised for such a good job of singing. Or could it be that smile means he's just happy that it's over???

You can spend time with your pet, and you can learn his or her mannerisms, such as knowing when they're happy, their smiles, when they feel embarrassed or when they're sad. If you pay attention, you can see that they also know these actions when you are feeling a certain way also, and will react on it. As for myself, I feel lucky to share my time with this 120 pound ball of fur and love who gives unconditionally 24 hours a day, and wants more than anything to only get love and attention in return.

If you're a fellow pet lover, I would love to hear of your best friend and some of the things that make you realize this is something special in your own life.