The newest male in my life can be described as a handsome, blond, short-haired, long-legged 66 lb. puppy. It’s true. I have fallen in love with a furry animal named Gustopher Francis Poop Van Winkle, or Gus, for short. He has the MOST adorable face with a dark snout and eyebrows, especially the one Rhett Butler-like (raised) eyebrow. This one-year old fellow has completely taken over my life and my good sense. Those of you that know me KNOW I don’t do animals: no pets for this family, no sir. No dogs, cats, gerbils, goldfish, hamsters or anything that I have to be responsible for. Nothing that I have to feed. Nothing that I have to take for daily walks. Nothing that I have to take to the doctor (albeit veterinarian) for shots, sickness or surgery. Nothing that I have to take outdoors for potty breaks. And nothing that I have to train. Period.

In that respect, my life remains the same because Gus it not my dog. I don’t own him, but lately he seems to be owning me! Gus is our daughter, Katie’s, boyfriend’s dog. Michael and Gus are a package deal and it became clear early on that you couldn’t have one without the other. In fact, soon after it became apparent that Katie and Michael were in love, he actually asked her, “Katie, when did you first know that you’d fallen in love with Gus?”

With apologies to all of my friends that have pets, I stand corrected. Forgive my past apathetic attitude. Pets aren’t all bad. Sure, they slobber, they whine, they bark (I’ll NEVER get used to that!), they make a mess and they tear things up. But I now know what people mean by “unconditional love” when it comes to pets. I don’t care how bad your day has been, how much your house needs cleaning or how stressed out you are, he will still wag his tail when you come through that door, sit or stand there for you to pet him and lay at your feet when you get settled in. Gus is no different. I actually (don’t tell anyone) miss him when I go four to five days without his visiting. I say to Katie, “Tell Michael to bring Gus over. I miss him!” And he usually does.

There’s been a lot of firsts with Gus and me. The first time I spent a few hours with him was at the beach. I watched him run and chase the waves, the birds and the fish. The first time he came to our house, I (still being a non-animal lover) simply petted him on our sidewalk, then waved goodbye, as they drove off. But the first time he came inside our house: OMG! What an experience! He came in wagging his tail, sniffing every inch of air, wall, hardwood floors and furniture, and then (I guess he decided it passed the test) he actually LEAPT like a deer over the back of my overstuffed chair and landed in it. My favorite red chair. Gus sitting in it. Can you picture this? I almost couldn’t. But what did I do? Nothing. I was actually too stunned to do anything. Another first: I bought him a rubber toy and he loved it. Then Christmas rolled around and I bought him; are you ready; a stocking! Then I bought a box of treats so he’d be comfortable and happy when he visits. In the middle of all of this, Russell was just shaking his head, unable to believe the transformation in me.

But the most amazing first was when I accompanied Gus (and Katie and Madison, our 8-year-old granddaughter) to the Doggie Park! Whoa! I have never been so in awe of dogs in my life. We parked, then walked inside a double gate (a precaution to keep the canines from running out into the open; makes sense), and from there I watched a dozen or more dogs play. The sand is deep and the park is vast, but it’s evidently Heaven for Dogs. Sometimes they’d all form a circle and sort of chase each other’s tails, or their own tails, it was hard to say. Then two would pair up and run off and wrestle or gnaw at each other’s necks. Occasionally one would almost look at us as if to say, “Wow! I need a time out.” So he’d go to the water bowl, take a few gulps, then head out to play again.

Naturally, our two granddaughters, Madison and Carly, are the best. But now we have another family member and I’m pretty proud of that too. Yep, this is one grandmother who’s ga-ga over her granddog, Gus!

Ann Ipock “Life Is Short, So Read This Fast!” amipock@ec.rr.com www.annipock.com