The Forgotten One

Anyone who has come to my home over the past ten years has probably been met with the loud bark of my beloved dog Liffey. Some may even be a bit put off by this distinctive baritone yelp. It is sad to admit this but the UPS man refuses to get out of his truck if Liffey is in the yard when he arrives in fear, I guess, for his well being. I have handled this by meeting him at the truck in all kinds of weather and assuring him that her bark is loud but she would never harm anyone. He does not buy this for a minute. On a positive note I am sure that we get fewer unwanted solicitations as a result of this behavior.

I remember the first time I heard this bark was when I was in the kitchen looking down at my adorable new eight week old puppy and heard her emit a sound like I had never heard before.  Our previous dog Betsy was an extremely difficult act to follow as she rarely made any noise at all.  Tom always called her "arf-less" so we were all astounded when Liffey barked so loud and has continued to do so for over a decade. When you get to know her Liffey is truly a very sweet dog who has shown so much love for our entire family. Liffey is also, and I say this with no prejudice, a very smart dog. She is a very interesting animal and has been an entertaining addition to our family. Liffey came into our life at a time when Brian had left for college and Michael was becoming an independent high school sophomore so Tom and I needed someone to worship us.

Now it is true that our sons think that we spoil our dog and that we are a "bit crazy" at times in our devotion to her. Brian always refers to her as "your dog" but he really never lived with her for an extended period of time. It is true that she has been bathed in our jacuzzi and that in the summer she likes to take a dip in the pool and then lounge on her personal pool chair until she gets hot again and repeats the process. She does have her own sofa in our bedroom where she enjoys sleeping at night. Every once in a while she has a spa day at the groomer. It seems very natural to me because she is the only other girl who has ever lived in our house and she is quite beautiful.

I have genuinely missed Liffey very much over the past two months and know that she has done for Tom while I have been away what she always does for me in Tom's absences. She gives unconditional love.  You come in at the end of a long hard day and she wags her tail and maybe even rolls over for a tummy rub. You can be smelly from working out or grouchy from a hard day at the office and she smiles at you, (yes, she does in fact actually smile), and your day just gets better.  All of the times that Tom has traveled for work and I have been alone in the big house I have had companionship with Liffey. She can sleep on the bed with me, (don't tell Tom), and somehow I just feel safer and not alone.

Tom reflects on life as Liffey gazes wistfully in the background. They are both missing me.
I still don't know how he takes such good pictures of himself with his cell phone.

I must give a shout out to Liffey's dog walker Cyd who comes over every afternoon to feed Liffey and give her a walk.  She also offers her love and I know how much Cyd has enjoyed getting to know Liffey. So Liffey, thank you for helping me to enjoy my adventure in NYC.  I know it has been difficult for you to be alone so much during the day.  You are used to having me there to let you in and out of the house and now you have to wait patiently for your daily walk and then for your Dad to come home.  I will try to make it up to you when I come home.

Picture texted to me by Cyd with the caption, "I miss you Mommy" Talk about your guilt feelings.