We have a little dog. And I mean little. She's 7lbs. About the size of a big rat. My husband calls her "the rat." My daughter and I treat her like she's part of our "women's only club". She's so darn cute too. She loves people, dogs, cats, squirrels. Ok, well, she wants to eat the squirrels and maybe she's not so found of the UPS man, but that's only because he rings the doorbell and leaves without giving her due attention. She is also great therapy. She is soft and warm (we fight over her on a cold winter night) and never talks back. Just listens. She doesn't ask for money, the car, new shoes, braces or express her disappointment with her life or my parenting skills. And she acts like I'm the Masiach when I walk in the house, even if its from the mailbox. But, I respect the fact that there are people who don't like dogs. I mean, they're missing out on one of life's greatest pleasures, but to each his own. What I don't understand is the sheer terror of a little dog; that is a little 7lb dog. Yet this terror seems to be common in orthodox communities. I've been told it is due to their not being around dogs, but I think it might be a genetic flaw.
I'll admit that my dog is not so well behaved, as she likes to jump onto our table and eat the challah; but that is only because she is a reincarnated Jewish soul and she wants her challah (must have missed out on "love" last time around). I like to think of her as my Yetzer Hara (evil inclination) allowed to go loose! It feels great! An elderly neighbor of mine still tells me that if she comes back around, she wants to be my dog. My kids are truly jealous of the dog, and well so is my husband. She's just so darn irresistible
and has saved me hundreds of visits to a therapist and thousands of dollars. In return, I provide her with the best chewy sticks and her very own serving of chicken soup. Now wouldn't you want to be treated that well? Anyway, the Ortho-Dog-Phobia comes in handy when we want to scare collectors away, but we usually take her away when they come. We're not heartless.
By the way, we just invited some friends to come spend shabbos with us. Seems they have not been plagued with Ortho-Dog-Phobia. Phew! We're good to go and Cloe will get her challah this week!
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