I recently had the pleasure of meeting my new nephew who just so happens to live in England. (Oh, darn.) In addition to some serious Aunt/Nephew bonding time, I also had the opportunity to explore the land where the royals live.  While I studied abroad there in college, my memories are a little foggy…possibly due to too much time at the local pub.  (My room was literally directly above a bar. Good times.)  This trip I was reminded of all the beauty England has to offer.  Oh, and the free horse manure.  Just as long as you return the bags…

Dogs.  There is so much to be said about these four legged creatures.  First, they stink.  This is not, of course, their most endearing quality.  (Sadly, even when you bathe them, they only smell lovely for all of about seven minutes.)  Second, the world is their giant bathroom.  While humans traditionally use one place for such necessities, dogs, they don’t mind where it happens.  (I know this from personal experience.  Ever had a puppy?  Oh, they don’t care where they go.  “The kitchen?  Great!  The living room carpet?  Perfect!  Your favorite pair of wedges?  Yes, please!”)  Not only that, but they. are. expensive.  Dog food, chew toys, vet bills, carpet cleaner…the list goes on.  The only difference I can tell from kids and dogs is that dogs don’t need to go to college.  That’ll save a chunk of change, for sure.  Everything else?  It all comes out just about even.

The good news is that dogs totally make up for the above for various other reasons.  They are always happy to see you.  (Whether that’s because they love you or they’re just happy to have something else to sniff, who knows?)  They provide another opportunity to show your team spirit.  (Gator collars, anyone?)  And they’ll eat just about anything.  (Spill some soup on the floor?  The dog will have it cleaned up before you can even turn around to grab the paper towels.  That, might friends, is quite handy.)

I’m not the only one to think dogs are pretty great.  Looka’ here:

“Heaven goes by favor.  If it went by merit, you would stay out and your dog would go in.” ~Mark Twain

“All his life, he tried to be a good person.  Many times, however, he failed.  For after all, he was only human.  He wasn’t a dog.” ~Charles Schulz

“Just give me a comfortable couch, a dog, a good book, and a woman.  Then if you can get the dog to go somewhere and read the book, I might have a little fun.” ~Groucho Marx

So there.  And now, without further ado, the newest edition to our family, Joe: