Who Let the Dogs Out ?

By Little Sister

This age old question has finally been answered!! In our family it was our mom Betty!!

Mom was always a lover of dogs, as you can see in the picture below of Skippy, Mom and her parents. Since Mom was an only child her parents got her a dog to keep her company and Mom and Skippy had many adventures, and happy times together.

Fast forward many years and Mom and Dad are making a move from Alberta to BC, taking me with them. Since I did not know anyone in our new city, they decided to get me a puppy to keep me company (I think Mom was flashing back to her days as an only child) Along came a long haired dachshund, that I named Cindy and much like Mom and Skippy, we had many great adventures together.

One adventure that still stands out for me was when Mom and I took Cindy to obedience class. We were working on two commands: lie down, and stay, with the object being to have your dog lie down, and stay while you left the room. After about about 30 seconds of waiting outside the room, we heard the instructor yelling “could someone come and get Cindy?” Sure enough when Mom went to get Cindy she was walking around the gym trying to make friends with all the other dogs, who were all nicely laying down and staying put. In a loud voice Mom jokingly said ” Cindy is just like my daughter, try to get her to do something and she does the exact opposite.” The entire class burst out laughing. Needless to say from that day on we were the darlings of the class.

After I moved out, Mom and Dad had an empty nest and Cindy became more of a friend and companion to them. Mom would take Cindy for walks along the dike, and this is where Mom realized that taking Cindy out for a walk was a great way to get some exercise, and of course make new friends!

Cindy was 17 years old when the time came to say good-bye, and Mom was by her side. After Cindy, Mom and Dad never got another dog, but the rest of the family stepped in to fill the void. Paisley, Augie, Ronin, Buddy, Charlotte, Minnie and Biscuit came to the forefront. From BC to the far reaches of Quebec, Mom always had a dog to see whenever she went to visit the rest of the family.

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The last dog in Mom’s life before she passed, was Biscuit. She was a rescue dog that came into my life after I had to put down my dog Meesha, a faithful companion for 14 years. After filling out an application at the pound, and going through an extensive interview, the day finally came to take Biscuit home. The first person I called was Mom and together we went to pick her up. Biscuit was very happy to see us and she greeted Mom with her tail wagging 100 miles an hour.

Once all the paperwork was dispensed with, I packed Mom and Biscuit into the back seat of my car. About five minutes in to the drive home, we were stopped at a light, and I looked in the rear view mirror and saw they both were fast asleep! I knew right then that a special bond had been created between the two.

On a regular basis, I would take Biscuit over to visit Mom so they could go for a walk. Both of them enjoyed their walks immensely and some how they always ended picking up a bottle of wine at the local store (Biscuit does enjoy a nice glass of Pinot Grigio!)

As time went by the walks became shorter and less frequent, but Mom and Biscuit remained fast friends. Biscuit just loved it when Mom gave her a tummy rub and mom loved to give them. 🙂

It may sound a little weird, but I firmly believe that after Mom passed away, some how part of her spirit carries on in Biscuit. They both love to make friends, go for walks, love treats, and having great adventures. I think this quote sums up everything:

Animal lovers are a special breed of humans; generous of spirit and full of empathy……..perhaps prone to sentimentality and with hearts as big as the sky. The world be a nicer place if everyone had the ability to love as unconditionally as a dog…….and Mom

In conclusion, I would like to give the last word to my very intelligent dog, Biscuit:

Dog Speak Translation:

Hello everyone……..pause…….I”m honored to speak to you today……..pause……….Betty was a very special lady and one of my favorite humans……pause……. I really miss her. Now where did you guys put that bottle of Pinot Grigio? I need a drink!

Next week we won’t be doing our usual Monday post. Instead we will be honoring mom for Mothers Day on Instagram @bettywouldlovethat and on our Facebook page Betty Would Love That. We’ll be back to our regular blog post schedule the following Monday.