Love this. I recently wrote about all the dogs (and cats) I've ever had, and it was like rolling around in happy memories the way dogs roll around in the grass (and sometimes another dog's poo, but whatever.) There would be so much less love in my life without my animals. They're like four-legged dopamine machines even though they eat weird things and throw up on your stuff.
LOL Leslie I had a good laugh over "another dog's poo" 😂 They're SO forgivable aren't they? I'd love to read that story if you could post the link here!
Every day, my husband takes a half-hour afternoon nap. I don’t nap but I join him and, getting our dog settled in my arms, I just pet her and marvel at her perfection and her existence for the half hour. It’s medicinal, it’s contentment x10. I’ve been crazy in love with dogs my whole life but this moment in my midlife is beyond that—there’s some kind of magic happening. Glad I found my people here! 🤗❤️
I only have a cat at the moment, and there are obvious differences in how much a cat gets a person out into the world talking to other people, compared to what a dog does in this regard. I think i need a dog.
When Frank, my "bonus" dog, showed up in my life, I was living in a duplex, respectfully giving our duplex neighbor "space". Said neighbor adopted Frank, and although he lived with her, he said "fuck space" and made it very clear we needed to blend our spaces for him. A few months later my corgi Tosha came into our lives, and Frank became her boyfriend and protector. Frank's human and I started walking the dogs together every morning, becoming BFFs as humans. Frank knew.
Even after we moved out of the duplex into our own home, our walks continue, and Frank now comes to stay at our house M-F 8am-4pm...whenever his human is at work.
We are all mid-lifers. And Frank and Tosha know that they hit to doggie jackpot when they picked us as their humans.
99.9999% of the time, I go to bed before my husband.
And 99.9999% of the time, when he comes to bed, there's no room because the cat is on one side lying perpendicular to me, and the dog is on the other side of me, lying perpendicular to me. Yes, we let them sleep on our bed. My fault. No regrets.
Dezi used to sleep on my bed but at 85 lbs she chose all by herself to stop jumping up. There's not enough room for her kind of spreading out 😂 Also, her shedding is unreal so I'm not sad that she stopped coming on my bed.
Our bigger dogs didn't jump up, either, except for ONE time. We had gone away on vacation and the night we came home our 80 lb lab jumped up on the bed and slept with us the whole night. Never did it again after that. I think we hogged the bed and she couldn't spread out so she just went back to sleeping on her bed next to ours. 😂
Kristi, thanks for the shoutout. This piece reminds me a little of the late Cynthia Heimel’s hilarious writing on why dogs are better than men (available online until a while ago and now who knows where). That’s a compliment.
Love this. I recently wrote about all the dogs (and cats) I've ever had, and it was like rolling around in happy memories the way dogs roll around in the grass (and sometimes another dog's poo, but whatever.) There would be so much less love in my life without my animals. They're like four-legged dopamine machines even though they eat weird things and throw up on your stuff.
LOL Leslie I had a good laugh over "another dog's poo" 😂 They're SO forgivable aren't they? I'd love to read that story if you could post the link here!
I’d love to. That’s so generous of you! Thank you! https://open.substack.com/pub/distractedbyprettythings/p/if-my-pets-were-people?r=43tgx8&utm_medium=ios
Every day, my husband takes a half-hour afternoon nap. I don’t nap but I join him and, getting our dog settled in my arms, I just pet her and marvel at her perfection and her existence for the half hour. It’s medicinal, it’s contentment x10. I’ve been crazy in love with dogs my whole life but this moment in my midlife is beyond that—there’s some kind of magic happening. Glad I found my people here! 🤗❤️
Haha!!! I feel so seen reading your comment 😁 I'm the same, I've loved dogs my whole life but midlife took it to another level 🤣🐾
I only have a cat at the moment, and there are obvious differences in how much a cat gets a person out into the world talking to other people, compared to what a dog does in this regard. I think i need a dog.
The only thing worse than mid-lifers with dogs is Seniors with dogs and cats
“..love starts with a wet nose and ends with a tail.”
Just wish I could post a photo of the proof of that statement, in the form of my border collie Maggie. Sadly, Substack is permitting text only. 🐾
In comments, you can only use written responses but on Notes you can post anything. If you download the Substack app you'll have access to notes.
Amen.
You nailed it Kristi. And yay for you and your besties finally have doggy besties too--that sounds so perfect!!!
Also a super boo-urns to "We can’t just stand outside in a field all day…there’s no money in it. 😂". This really need to be a career option 😆😆
🤣🤣 I knew I could count on you to pick out my favorite sentence in the post. It DOES need to be a viable career option 😁
Yes to all of this, especially "mid-lifers with no obligations aside from earning money to buy dog treats and poop bags." I cannot prove you wrong.
Dog TV. That’s what a friend calls it when we sit at the dog park and watch a rousing game of chase.
Ha! That's exactly what it's like 😁
That Titanic meme is hilarious.
They say when you have kids your dog becomes a dog again. But when you become an empty nester your dog becomes your baby.
Thats wonderful that you have a bestie whose dog is Dezi’s bestie too.
FYI Jeff and the dog take up most of the bed while I sleep on the edge— Apollo usually half on top of me.
I came here to comment on the titanic meme too haha.
Most accurate meme ever
And when you're a single empty-nester it's even worse. My mom always laughs at me for narrating Dezi's thoughts all the time lol.
I'm mid-lifer who met my partner because of dogs.
Had I not been a dogparent and a behaviourist, and he a pet portrait artist, we'd never have crossed paths.
We are a happy three xx
Oooh I love this so much! That’s a fantasy meeting 😊
I’m wondering where all the mid-life bachelors are at the dog park~!
For us, he joined my Facebook group after a mutual friend suggested that he could advertise his portraits in there.
We arranged to meet up for a dog walk and have been making people vomit with our happiness ever since xx
Bahaha I missed this comment last week. I love that people hate your love 🤣
When Frank, my "bonus" dog, showed up in my life, I was living in a duplex, respectfully giving our duplex neighbor "space". Said neighbor adopted Frank, and although he lived with her, he said "fuck space" and made it very clear we needed to blend our spaces for him. A few months later my corgi Tosha came into our lives, and Frank became her boyfriend and protector. Frank's human and I started walking the dogs together every morning, becoming BFFs as humans. Frank knew.
Even after we moved out of the duplex into our own home, our walks continue, and Frank now comes to stay at our house M-F 8am-4pm...whenever his human is at work.
We are all mid-lifers. And Frank and Tosha know that they hit to doggie jackpot when they picked us as their humans.
This is so special 😁 I'm sure if Jennifer and I were neighbors we'd have a walkway tube built between our houses for the dogs to freely cross lol.
Dogs are incredibly talented at choosing their jackpot humans, hey?
I just finished my lunch with Frank as my foot rest under the table.
Thanks for the shout-out, Kristi -- and those pics of Dezi!! Oh, and you too ;-)
My pleasure Jan! You have always made me smile with your dog stories 💗
99.9999% of the time, I go to bed before my husband.
And 99.9999% of the time, when he comes to bed, there's no room because the cat is on one side lying perpendicular to me, and the dog is on the other side of me, lying perpendicular to me. Yes, we let them sleep on our bed. My fault. No regrets.
H: "Babe, can you move over?"
Me: "No."
🤷🏻♀️
LOL!!! That would be my response too!
Dezi used to sleep on my bed but at 85 lbs she chose all by herself to stop jumping up. There's not enough room for her kind of spreading out 😂 Also, her shedding is unreal so I'm not sad that she stopped coming on my bed.
Our bigger dogs didn't jump up, either, except for ONE time. We had gone away on vacation and the night we came home our 80 lb lab jumped up on the bed and slept with us the whole night. Never did it again after that. I think we hogged the bed and she couldn't spread out so she just went back to sleeping on her bed next to ours. 😂
Kristi, thanks for the shoutout. This piece reminds me a little of the late Cynthia Heimel’s hilarious writing on why dogs are better than men (available online until a while ago and now who knows where). That’s a compliment.
My pleasure, Rona. I loved reading your book ❤️
Never heard of her but she's not wrong 🤣
My teens accused me of loving the dogs more! Now they have pets of their own and get it!
I do love my dog more and tell them regularly 🤣 luckily they also prefer the dog and so we can all agree, the dog is the favourite household member