A bit of a sap..

I must confess. I am going to see the new "Marley and Me" movie soon after Christmas. Whew - that felt better getting off my chest.

See, I grew up my whole life around "the family dog". My first was a female mini border collie who was named "Misty". I was still a gleam in the eye of my parents when they got the dog, so I had no help in naming the dog. She was a trusted dog, often outside "chasing" our two albino rabbits around the back yard.

After she had passed, my dad brought home a Golden Retriever "puppy" (we named "Teddy")that was almost as tall as me standing on its hind legs. Now, if any of you read the book - this dog would have been a perfect fit. Eating cupcakes off the kitchen table, getting into our above-ground pool by himself, pulling my little brother down the street on a sled one snowy winter day.. he was just pure chaos. Unfortunately, at the age of 7, we had to put him down due to epilepsy -- common in the breed as it comes from inbreeding.

My last dog was an English Springer Spaniel. My folks picked him up the first year I was in college. Named "Boomer", he lived up to the name by constant barking at anyone outside. Over the years, he and I grew into "buds" -- often coming to me if he got into trouble with anyone else, and waiting at the door when I came home. Strange though - these breeds usually love the water.. but as Boomer got older - he stayed away. He lived to a ripe old age of 14, until arthritis in his legs gave him trouble getting up and about. I'll never forget the day my mom called while I was at work last March and gave me the bad news that they took him to be put down. While it had to be done, it was hard for me to take. My parents had him cremated and we kept the ashes.

So why you ask, after reading that, will I go see the movie? Well, shortly after, I took a vacation down to see my friend in Maryland. While there, I came across this book - and flipped through it. It brought back memories of all the dogs I have had, and especially since the loss of Boomer was still so raw, I fell in love with it -- so much so that I finished it in about 2 days.

For any dog lover - I would say you should go out and pick up the book. After you read it, go check out the movie!