We had an adopted yellow Lab names Wilson. There’s the little lad to the left.

We were the fourth owners in two years.

The picture may be a little blurry because he is always moving! Okay, I exaggerated… sort of.

I have come to discover that having a puppy is like going through childbirth. It’s very painful.

Let’s see. So far, because of chewing, neediness, and being left alone for short periods of time, we have lost:

Two pair of eyeglasses,
A sketch book,
Journal,
Several rolls of toilet paper,
A Handel’s Messiah score,
Not to mention teeth marks on and iPod, telephone, remote control, and shoes. I could go on, but you get the picture.

Anyone who knows me knows that I had a golden retriever named Duffy who was my best friend in the entire world. He died six months prior to us getting Wilson.

Duffy was the perfect dog, so Wilson had big paws to fill. Every indiscretion that Wilson commits has me a little exasperated.

Then I started thinking back to when Duffy was Wilson’s age – two years old. All of these memories came pouring back.

There is an expensive Drury rug in my son’s room with the corner chewed off because of Duffy being left alone one day. Then there was the Sony Play Station cord that was destroyed with a pair of Kenneth Cole shoes, and, and… hmmm. I had totally forgotten all of Duffy’s poor behavior as a puppy.

It’s really similar to childbirth. I don’t think about the two-day labor process that ended in a c-section when I gave birth to my son. I just think about having this great kid.

You might get irritated if you become forgetful. But let’s give God thanks that He created our amazing brains to forget the bad stuff like the pain of childbirth and raising a puppy.

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