Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Why It's Been Quiet Around Here

When his summer vacation started, I decided that my son deserved a puppy.  Now I know why so many parents, mine included, don't typically make this decision cavalierly.  I also learned that, after 45 years of being dogless, I am a dog person.  So what if owning one requires 90 minutes of walking per day, and otherwise, a complete shakedown of your schedule and activities of daily living.  She's all worth it. A father should be prepared to do anything for his son.  Thanks to her I learn patience, commitment, and empathy and cultivate calmness and assertiveness.

So without further ado, allow me to introduce you to Nai'a, my son's Rhodesian Ridgeback/Terrier/Labrador mix.  Her name is the Hawaiian word for "dolphin", which connotes her playful and buoyant nature.  She is athletic, energetic, gentle, obedient, devoted, and does far more for my home than I do for her.












Top to bottom: On Father's Day (incidentally my son is now 8 and in the 3rd Grade); In detente and then pouncing; Walking the creek behind school; Panting after chasing her favorite toy, a red football signed by my goddaughter; In ND blue at the start of the NCAA football season; My boy and my girl, asleep on the floor; Guarding the Mid Life Crisis; Attentive in the living room; In the front seat of my truck at the end of a long day at the office with me.

2 comments:

M.Lane said...

Great to see a post! And a fine development. My dad always said "a boy has to have a dog..."

And you can see she is a Rodie from that face!!! The ones I have known are VERY enthusiastic. Just the thing for a boy this age.

Good call, dad.

ML

Ben said...

Well thank you, sir, for your visit and encouragement. I was planning to write a longer post about the commitment a dad makes to his son through the care of said dog, but it sounded too self-aggrandizing. Yet it's true and I believe it.

So, too bad! Looking forward to your next piece.