The house has gone to the dogs

The weather so far this year has been a bit extreme. After several snows, we then faced a blizzard and then torrential rains and floods. I am the lucky owner of four dogs, ranging from 45 pounds to 100 pounds. I also am blessed to own a 30 year old house, with original everything, from the roof to the furnace. This year I will have to sell my soul in order to do about $20,000 in renovations, before the house collapses around me.

The backyard currently is a grassless swamp, I am not sure how to grow grass in a yard where 16 paws regularly run, wrestle, and dig. I do, however know how to mop up mud. Mud is tracked in daily, I do sweep and mop, but it is always present. When the mud dries, it converts to dust, which is stirred and deposited on everything. All of my windows have paw and nose prints. The corner of the couch has been gnawed. The only room that is safe, is my bedroom, as the dogs have been exiled from there.

I sometimes fantasize about a dog-free house, but they are in reality my children, only they will never grow up and get their own place. It was never my plan to house four dogs. It just happened. We had one dog, Max, who lived 21 years before we had to euthanize him. When he turned 18, I did not believe he had more than another year in him and allowed my son to get a puppy. Max hated Rosco! We added another dog from the pound to serve as a buffer. And then I found a dog at the rest area on the way home from Florida. When we lost one dog due to an intestinal torsion, my boss happened to have a litter of puppies. Then this year, after Max died, I was asked to foster a dog for one month. It is now three months later. The problem is, I am a sucker for a cold wet nose and furry feet and everyone knows it. (Just for the record, I tend to prefer the opposite of that in men.) I am the first person someone talks to when they have to find a home for a dog. I try not to listen now, I am at my limit, on space and on money. They go through 40 pounds of dog food a week with no problem. Dog licenses cost me $70 and though my vet tries to be kind, I do not even want to add up her bills.

What do I get in return for my canine generousity? Dog hair and paw prints on every outfit I wear, no matter how quickly I make it out the door. One hundred pounds of dog on my lap, as I try to type my homework. Pure and unconditional love times four. What more could I want!