Head of the Household

By Sally Huss

The Happy Musing for the Day: Dogs have their place in a home, usually at the head of the family.

Don't you just love dogs? They have as many personalities as people, but they are not people. Yet those dog lovers among us who hold their dogs in such high regard are not quite so sure. This is what I have noticed: those people who love their dogs beyond all else, make them the center of attention in most situations and in some cases - head of the household.

There are a million types of homes and living situations and a million types of dogs to go with them. Some dogs have the benefit of being able to run freely on a farm or ranch. Some may be lucky enough to have a backyard to romp in. Still others are restricted to life inside a home or an apartment. And none of this seems to have anything to do with the size of the dog. Once a person falls in love with a dog, that person makes room for that dog within his or her particular living space.

To me a dog is still a dog. I welcome them in my gallery. I play with them, flirt with them, give them a pat on the head and a bowl of water. I see them and interact with them as if they were young children - playful, cuddly, but destined never to grow up. I enjoy many dogs in my life - my son's dogs, the dogs on my walk to work, the dogs that stop by the gallery and say hello, but I do not own one and one does not own me.

I have owned dogs in the past and that is probably why I wrote this verse. We had a dachshund who was nothing more than a Hitler. He ruled our every move. We had to trick him into being captured in order to isolate him when we wanted to go out for dinner. Then there was the sweetest dog we ever had - Sara. Picked up by the pound people, she was found roaming the streets with her pup. The pup was adopted first. Then we got Sara. She lay at my feet for hours while I painted. I found the most incredible home for her to go to when I knew I was no longer going to have space for her. We said our goodbyes and she never looked back. I have never really been an "owner" of a dog, more like a holding tank until the proper owner came forward. I have loved my dogs and I can see why they can easily be head of a family.

"Life is wonderful!"

Copyright 2008 Sally Huss

Sally Huss has been a writer and artist all of her life. She is a native Californian who studied art at Occidental College before graduating from the University of Southern California with a degree in Fine Arts. Along with her creative talents, Sally developed her skills on the tennis court. She became National Junior Champion and a Wimbledon semifinalist before putting down her racket for a full-time career as an artist/writer. Sally's art ranges from large and lively impressionistic canvases to deliciously colorful fish, florals and landscapes on paper. She paints daily in her gallery/studio in the heart of the art district of La Jolla, California at 7932 Ivanhoe. Sally Huss has written and illustrated greeting card lines for Hallmark, American Greetings and Suzy's Zoo for over 20 years. In the last 3 years she has created a daily feature called Happy Musings, which King Features syndicated for newspapers world-wide. From her archives Sally offers in-depth comments on the meaning of her Musings. These happy thoughts and the best of her greeting cards are now available as E-cards through http://www.happymusings.com, along with a free Happy News newsletter. To view Sally's gallery of original art and peek at her extensive lines of bright and happy products, including THE HAPPY BOOK, bibs, nursery wall décor, totes and purses, and gifts with thoughtful thoughts, go to: http://www.sallyhuss.com