Me and My Friends

I had asthma and allergies as a kid, so I never had a pet. I did have some fish, but they don't really count. You can't really bond with a goldfish or an angelfish. For as long as I could remember, I wanted a dog.

I finally got one in 2005. Bosco. Though his photo on the rescue web site pointed to trouble, we drove the two hours it took to get to the shelter to meet him. Everyone there was surprised we wanted to meet Bosco. "Really?" they asked. "Bosco?"

We bonded immediately.

A short while later we got Alan, a terrier of some kind, from the same shelter. Though it's taken years, they're starting to get to be better friends.

They say dogs can smell cancer. I don't know if that's true, but Bosco could definitely tell I was sick, and he knew I was getting chemo. I'm sure my scent changed. Regardless, he was stuck to me like glue. If I was watching a movie on the couch, he was on my lap. If I was in bed, he was laying on the floor beside me. And no matter how far I could walk, he and Alan were always up for a trip outside, whether it was to the end of the street or around the block.

I do not doubt they played a key role in my recovery. Though you can't measure it, the support, love and friendship you get from dogs (sorry cat people) cannot be measured or overemphasized. There's a cameraderie there that can't truly be replicated. As any dog owner can tell you, there's an unspoken connection with them that is unlike anything else.