They Buy Home Security Systems
In all my years on the planet, 90% of them have been spent living with animals. Mostly dogs. I’m still figuring out how to find my way without four-footeds always by my side. It’s weird. So very weird.
I promised Andrew that I would try to make it a year. There’s some traveling he’d like to do where we both get to go together. What a concept! But I’m not sure how long I’ll last. At the moment, I’m feeling pretty shaky and a year seems like a lifetime away.
Going through the stages of change that happen after long-term animal cohabitation is proving… let’s just say, interesting.
For example, I have lived in this house for 3 decades. I have never felt unsafe or scared here. Why? Because I always had my fool-proof bark alarms. They never failed to alert me to any human or animal that made its way onto our property. So I never even had to think about keeping an eye out when their eyes—and ears—were so much better than mine. And while they were all a bunch of lovable goofballs with me, I never doubted that they’d step in to protect me if it were ever needed. It was a feeling of total security.
That feeling is gone now. For the first time, late in the night, I thought I heard the front door open. Twice. I didn’t think a lot about it because Cait was home. Since she’s a night owl, I assumed it was her comings and goings. I asked her in the morning and she said it wasn’t her.
So here we are. Installing a home security system. I guess that’s what most people think is normal. Most people think they do the job. I look at this box of schtuffff and just shake my head.
Even if this does a great job, there is still the delay of police or fire being notified. And then showing up. With my dogs, there was zero delay and 100% deterrent. Only one of the thousands of benefits of sharing my life with them.
How do people do it? How do they live without dogs…?
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