Saturday with Shutter (Human Edition)
A Trip Around the Sun
3-25-2019
I did not know it at the time, but six years ago today one of the very best things that was ever about to happen to me, happened. Into this world came a scruffy little black and white terrier mix you all know now as Shutter the Wonder Mutt. It would be another eight weeks before we would actually meet, but my life has not been the same since.
I have been chided many times for what some see as celebrating the birthday of a dog, as a silly thing to do. And that’s okay, they can have their laugh. Because for me at least, the most important lesson I have learned in life has come from this maniacal, incredibly spoiled, slobbery, bossy, far to smart for his own good mutt named Shutter.
That lesson is “Brevity”. We humans on average live about 75 years. Dogs, a mere 12-15. And that time goes by so fast doesn’t it? This summer I am planning (key word here is “planning”) a trip to Texas to visit one of my previous foster pups Winnie and some old Army friends I haven’t seen in over 30 years. 30 years! Where the hell did the time go?
So yeah, I celebrate my dogs birthdays. I celebrate their “Gotcha Day”, the day I adopted them. Or perhaps the day they adopted me is more accurate. I celebrate every meal we share, every trip to the dog park, every game of fetch and tug of war. We celebrate every car ride and every new rubber ball.
They are not just my dogs. They are also not my possessions like a pair of shoes or a television set. They are my team, my family, my Pack. And I am theirs. I don’t get upset when they wake me up early and I worry myself crazy when they are sick. I miss them when I’m away and I take them with me whenever I can.
I celebrate these things because their life, their well being, their safety is important to me. And for those of you whom think they are just dumb animals, I want you to remember that the next time you “Push” when the door says “Pull”.
So please join me in wishing my companion, my travel buddy, my best friend, the one and only Shutter the Wonder Mutt a very Happy 6th Birthday. Here’s to many more, trips around the sun.
Always,
-David, Shutter, and The Pack