The other night we came home from having dinner out with the family, and found a mess left by the dogs. One of them is a pup and is still “learning the ropes,”–so it was somewhat predictable.

You would think that after a year, this puppy would have gotten out of his bad habits, but he still has a tendency to eat shoes and chew on things plastic. This time, however, the plastic was a handheld TV remote control wand and the shoes were my wife’s. Needless to say, he got an earful from her.

I guess the bottom line is that if you are going to own dogs, then you have to accept the fact that sometimes “dogs will be dogs.”

I have a good friend who lost her dog last year…he died after a long and wonderful life. Now, she is struggling with whether or not to have another one. Dogs can try your patience, especially when they are young, but they are also wonderful companions to have in the house.

In our household, the grandchildren treat them like babies or younger siblings. They get loved and hugged ad infinitum, and it is hard to see how we could ever have gotten along without them.

The pup is the direct result of lobbying by our granddaughter. (The older dog, now more mature and less problematic, she thought needed a friend–a brother or sister to keep him company.) She finally won her argument, and the new dog arrived.

Though I can’t speak for the older dog, he seems to have two minds about this relatively new beast in his life. At night the two sleep next to each other and give each other company. On the other hand, the puppy nips and wants to wrestle with the older dog every chance that he can get. This must “get old” if you are the older dog. He doesn’t seem to get much rest when the younger one wants to play, jump around and generally cause havoc.

We had dogs when I was growing up but we also had cats, cows and horses–we lived on a dairy farm. We also had chickens which I never put quite in the same animal category. Cows and horses could become like pets…. but I never felt that away about chickens.

In any case, living with animals was a part of my upbringing. Maybe that is why I still like having dogs around.

My wife talks to the dogs like they are half-human, as if they can understand everything that she says. I talk to them but don’t expect a response. I did the same when I was milking cows…though they also never responded.

I have always felt that there is a calming effect that comes from animals, especially dogs. Could this feeling come from eons ago when they guarded the caves of my ancestors? Who knows? But, there is a beautiful aspect to owning or living with a dog. I recall back when my mother was in a nursing home, that they had a resident dog who was the friend of everyone living there.

Of course, now our pup is in the “dog house,” since he chewed up the remote and destroyed one of my wife’s shoes. Yet, even she is not ready to give up on dogs. When it comes to feeding time, they know that she is the one responsible. The little guy, the pup, has a high-pitched bark–and when I say: “Talk to her…,” he does– then she feeds him and the beat goes on.

If you don’t have a dog, you might want to try having one. Just remember that sometimes “dogs will be dogs.”

Rolland Kidder is a Stow resident.