19. he'd wake me up christmas morning--

with his warm nose touching my cheek,

resting on the bed beside my pillow,

eagerly awaiting breakfast and a walk, 

letting me know with a gentle gruff.

me and sylvia, may she rest in peace; passed away 11/19/2011

18. he'd be my writing companion.

if i had a dog, he'd cozy himself up on the faded floor rug beside my old desk (inherited from my father) and nap while i spent the day writing, inspired by the view from the large farmhouse window overlooking the hills behind the house. he'd look at me with gentle, pleading eyes for a taste of the tartine bread, warmed and buttered, or at least to sniff the steaming herbal tea, only to turn his nose from it. he wouldn't mind me spinning about in the aged wooden swivel desk chair, my head back, waiting for more writing inspiration to come down from the exposed-beams ceiling. he wouldn't mind suzy walking all over him, nudging him to play. this was not play time. this was writing time and he was there for me, supporting and encouraging me to keep with the tap-tap-tap on my keyboard, simply by way of his presence.

we'd take a break for walks over the hills, fresh air, visits to the barn to see the collect eggs from the chickens, rub the goats' noses, and kiss the jersey cow. life on the farm.

if i had a dog, we'd be happy there.

17. we'd sit on the front porch and watch storms roll in.

we'd sit on the front porch, me in a rocking chair, him at my feet,
and watch the summer storms roll in, until the rain was so hard
and the thunder cracks so loud we'd be moved to take cover
inside. we'd emerge post-storm and look for rainbows and inhale
the cleansing and refreshing scent of summer rain.

16. he and suzy would be best friends.

if i had a dog, he'd be best friends with suzy, our adopted cat. they'd
romp and tease each other and play. they'd nap together, resting their
bodies on each other, rising and falling in sync with each breath,
whimper, or dreamy scurry.

15. he'd be my valentine.

if i had a dog, he'd be mine forever; my valentine every february 14th.
we'd celebrate by snuggling in front of the fireplace watching our
favourite sappy movies and indulging in popcorn and pizza.

14. he'd be my little boy's best friend.

if i had a dog, i'd let my little boy name him
and take him for walks and explore and go
on adventures alone so they could bond and
become the best of friends.

image courtesy of blog.instagram.com; taken by kristian prichard

13. i would let others pet him.

if i had a dog, i would let others pet him
when we were out for walks, especially
kiddos. the kids might be a little scared
at first because he's a big dog but when
they feel how soft and fluffy he is and
catch the grin he'd give them, they'd calm
right down and scratch his head and
try to kiss him.

because dogs, particularly big fluffy ones,
were meant to be shared and petted.

12. he'd come to my wedding.

if i had a dog, he'd come to my wedding and likely be the most distinguished of guests.
perhaps more comments would be made about him and how handsome he is than the
obvious amazingness of my dress but i'd be ok with that.

image courtesy of forme-foryou.com

11. we'd snuggle up to stay warm.

if i had a dog, we'd snuggle up together
to stay warm. he'd be my body pillow
and fur blanket on these cold winter
mornings.

image courtesy of thatkindofwoman.tumblr.com

10. he'd rock the vote.

if i had a dog, he'd rock the vote
with me. we'd mosey on up to our
neighbourhood polling place, he'd wait patiently for me outside
while i dashed in to drop off my ballot, and i'd return with an "i
voted" sticker to flash proudly on his blue collar.

image courtesy of whitehouse.gov

9. he'd miss me.

if i had a dog, he'd wait for me
by the door until i returned
because he missed me.

image courtesy of witanddelight.tumblr.com

8. he would be the best listener.

if i had a dog, i'd let him do all the talking,
except when i needed him to listen. and
then he'd sit patiently, or rest his head in
my lap, until i was done with my rant or
story or frustration. then he'd look me
square in the eyes and bark.

7. we would watch tv together.

if i had a dog, he would be my tv buddy,
because he's the best at watching tv shows
and movies. his favourite seems to be
jeopardy! because he barks excitedly when
alex trebek walks onstage.

6. we would play in golden gate park.

if i had a dog, we would play in golden gate park.
i'd throw a tennis ball. he'd race after it and return
it to me, all sticky, and drop it at my feet for me to
pitch again. even before the ball left my grip, he'd
be on the run, chasing it down,
barking excitedly.

pitch.
return.
pitch.
return.

pitch.
return.

nap.