DOWN HOME:
In this world of solitude, life is going to the dog
___Betsy met me at the door as I arrived home the other day. I didn't know whether to feel pleased or disappointed.
___I halfway expected a little tag-along friend to accompany her.
___Betsy is our dog. She's three-quarters Yorkshire terrier and one-quarter poodle and weighs about seven pounds. Joanna and I gave Betsy to our girls, Lindsay and Molly, for

MARV KNOX Editor

their birthdays nine years ago, when she was just a puppy. As anyone who has had a pet, especially a house pet, can testify, she's part of the family.
___And a special part of the family too. She's the only one who regularly greets me at the door when I come home at the end of the day. You can bet I always bend over and scratch her neck. I want to reward that behavior--not for her sake, but for mine.
___(I loved the days when the girls were little and ran hollering, "Daddy's home!" in the afternoons. Now, sometimes they look up from their homework. I know they still love me. But their universe is much larger than it was a few years ago, and I'm much smaller in scale.)
___For a day or two there, I thought Betsy might find a new friend.
___Jo read a column in the Lewisville Leader about dogs that needed to be "adopted." A tiny terrier/Heinz 57 mix stared out from a photo, black eyes shining and pink tongue wagging.
___"He's so cute!" Jo declared, showing me the paper. "Don't you think Betsy needs a little friend?"
___How do you answer that question?
___I tried to think like Betsy. On the one paw, another canine companion might be fun as well as furry. But on another paw, sharing the attention of the four humans in the household might create a bone of contention.
___Stumped, I began thinking like me again. I've always loved babies and puppies. And since we're not likely to birth another baby, a puppy would be a great consolation prize.
___"Well, sure," I finally answered. (Good thing I wasn't still thinking like Betsy, or the answer would have been, "Woof! Woof!" Dogs always speak with exclamation points.)
___Sometime between Wednesday night and Thursday afternoon, Jo changed her mind. She's the practical one in the family. I imagine she thought about shots and shedded fur and vet visits and kennel bills.
___So, when I opened the back door Thursday evening and Betsy greeted me with her usual enthusiasm, I was kind of disappointed. Not as disappointed as the girls were when they found out, but still sort of sad.
___One dog is enough, however, especially since she greets me at the door.
___And did you know the Bible says dogs are a source of inspiration? "Anyone who is among the living has hope--even a live dog is better than a dead lion" (Ecclesiastes 9:4).



The Baptist Standard