Aussie & Me

On Christmas day I took the family to go see Marley & Me. I had also started reading the book and finished it last night. Marley & Me is one of the first stories in a long time I could really relate to.
My dog Aussie, an Australian Cattle Dog, has been my companion since 1997 when I was a college student. I had dogs growing up but they were never really my dogs. Aussie was the first dog that was really mine who I could take with me everywhere.
I wanted an Australian Cattle Dog because a friend of mine's parents had one. My friend explained to me if I wanted a 100% dog, an Australian Cattle Dog is what I needed. She told me tales of her dog's mischief and cleverness and for some reason I was sold.
Like Marley, Aussie is not the most well behaved dog. She had graduated from obedience school twice but still pulls on her leash and misbehaves daily. She still nips and barks at anything moving in her path and eats everything in her reach.
Like any dog owner I have a lot of stories about Aussie. One I can't forget is when we first got married we took Aussie on a vacation to the beach. She loved catching the waves and she drunk a lot of salt water. Once we were back in the car and was boarding a ferry the salt water flowed back out and filled the cup holders and console of my car. I could never get the smell out. We decided to camp out for the vacation and Aussie added twists to the whole weekend.
Hiking has always been an adventure. Aussie once chased an armadillo at me and once caught a mouse and threw it in my lap. I could unleash her and she would stay by my side. Rangers would always scold us and it would take years before I understood why.
When I first started dating Julie I tried to get Julie's dog Molly and Aussie to play together. With both of them being females they liked to dominate each other. It all ended when Aussie bit Molly under the eye and required stitches. We kept them separated until Molly sadly passed away with cancer. Aussie would not leave Molly's side when she passed away. When Molly died, Aussie changed to a different dog. Aussie became more calm and reserved.
Aussie has always been by my side. I have to admit I have not spent as much quality time as I use to with her. I have taken her for granted. Instead of taking her everywhere I usually leave her at home now. I guess I don't want to risk her scaring people who walk near my car or have her bark constantly in the passenger seat.
These days, Aussie has arthritis and gets sore very easily. Her eyesight and hearing is also fading. She use to be able to play frisbee and soccer endlessly. She could also ride a skateboard and keep up with any hiker or mountain biker. Now she knows where her limit is and can't play for too long without giving out.
With Aussie we have always felt safe in our home and have always had an automatic food vacuum cleaner at our disposal. Who needs an alarm system when you got a barker who sounds mean but isn't.
My plan was to learn to be more responsible. I thought I could graduate from raising a dog, to finding a wife, then to having a family. The plan worked like clockwork and I have to thank Aussie for it. I now have a wife, a daughter, two cats, and my beloved Aussie. I know she is getting older but I can't think of life without her.