How to Spend Time with Your Pet, Even When Your Days are Crazy-Busy!

  Posted on April 17, 2011  by Joy of Living  No comments

Bolt, Yorkie-poo and guest columnist:  I live in a household with five busy people.  They come and go in a whirlwind most days…three teenage boys and two parents.  The Wheaten Terrier and I are, for the most part, on auto-pilot.  Sure, when we were younger, we required lots more attention, but these days, we are pretty confident in ourselves and don’t need constant attention from our humans.  If we did begin to feel a bit neglected, I suppose we would become “bad boys” and chew on shoes, rip up things, and pee on the carpet.  However, we know we are loved! Why?  Well, because, despite their frenetic schedules our humans have learned how to spend quality time with us when they are on a time budget!

1.) They love to stop in their tracks on occasion to stop and smell the dogs!  In other words, I have learned that if I lie down on the stairs, looking very cute, they will invariably stop to nuzzle with me for a few moments whenever they go up and down the stairs.

2.)  Each morning, they all like to hug and hold me for a few moments.  The boys do this before they head off to school.  Their parents make sure to hug and kiss me before they tend to their jobs.  I feel good.  They feel good.  All is right with the world.

3.) Each night before bed, I get lap time with the two parents!  I love this!  Their time spent with the terrier and I before bed is akin to brushing their teeth – it’s a part of their routine, and I find it really soothes me before I fall asleep.

4.) My favorite time of day is right after dinner.  The two parents, and usually one of the boys, will take the terrier and I for a two-mile walk out on the wilderness trails behind our house.  We love it!  I get to bark at birds and sniff dead worms on the ground.  The terrier gets to “greet” passersby and mark the trail about a half a dozen times as we make the loop behind the house.

So…even though my family is very busy, those few minutes throughout the day they spend with us add up and culminate in one big happy feeling by bed time!  I get to go to sleep happy and then awaken knowing it will start all over again the very next day!  Love it!