Contrast Essay

Dog On Fun

Our family is made up of my wife, three kids, two stupid dogs and I. I love my wife and kids, but I often wonder why I love these mutts. Max and Lucy are our dog’s names and we really do love them very much, but they drive us nuts. Both of them are without a doubt the dumbest canines on earth and they drive me crazy. I spend a ton of money on them from food to vet bills and everything in between not to mention they destroy my house. I have a full size tote that holds their dog food, 50lbs of Dog Chow and that only lasts a few weeks. Several hundred dollars per year goes to vet bills and that’s if they don’t get too friendly with the local porky pine or need any extras like surgery or medications. Both love baths at the doggie spa, but who doesn’t like to be pampered or bathed by someone? The down side for me is the $25 bucks per dog per visit. On the surface they are good dogs, but each of them has their quirks that drive me up the wall. They are different in the time they need to go pee to the time they want to eat and when and from whom they want attention. Really how can two dogs that live in the same house, eat the same food, get the same love and attention be so vastly different?

 My house has undoubtedly gone to the dogs.

Max is a black and tan hound dog that would rather be outside in the rain or snow then curled up on a doggie bed. It doesn't matter if it is 100 degrees out or 10 below zero he wants out. Now one would think that a dog that spends most of his time outside would be easy to house train, well not shit head. I think he waits to come inside to pee just to piss me off. It took us almost six months to get him trained to pee outside and about a thousand dollars in bounty paper towels. When he is not chewing everything in sight he is digging up my entire lawn and we have almost six acres  I sometimes think all he does is eat, pee, dig and bark. All dam night bark, bark, and bark some more. I’m about ready to invest some more money in a bark collar. Roof, roof, zap, whine ha, ha, ha ass hole. Did I mention that he is my wife’s dog? Now the other block head Lucy is a tan Boxer mix who unlike Max would rather be lounging inside on the couch then outside. Lucy is what I call a fair weather fan. If it’s nice out 55-80 degrees she will play outside and run around, but outside of that her ass is inside. If it is snowing or raining I literally have to force her to go out and do her business, God forbid if princess gets wet. On the up side I had her potty trained in two days and she will hold her bladder all dam day before she pees in the house unlike dumb ass  When she does get out she will most likely lay down in the drive way and take a nap while max aerates the lawn. Lucy doesn't bark it’s more of deep growl and she only does that if she hears someone pull in the drive way. With max I can’t tell if someone is here or if he is just trying to tell me he took a poop. If you could not tell Lucy is my baby.



Now max is still a puppy only about a year old while Lucy is a senior citizen pushing nine. With that being said Max will eat five meals a day if you let him, and then still gets into the trash. Lucy on the other hand may or may not eat her breakfast, but looks forward to dinner and a bedtime bone. After Max eats he needs to poop right away while Lucy may just wait until morning. Inside each mutt has their own special spot, Lucy always on the couch or in the recliner while Max is on the floor next to the window or sleeping by the door. Max will spend hours chewing a bone or playing with his toys, but not my Lucy. Lucy may play for a while, but she is more content following the cats around or napping. At dinner time both dogs can be found lying underneath the kitchen table. Lucy always sits by the kids because time has taught her that’s who drops the food. Max on the other hand always by mommy and rarely getting a taste of our dinner, rookie. 



Both dogs love our kids and are always playing and licking them. When it comes to my wife and I it’s a little different. Max wants more attention from me then my wife and Lucy wants attention from Amy rather than from me. Naturally and subconsciously I think I give more attention to my dog Lucy than Max while at the same time Amy gives more attention to Max than Lucy. Now we really do love our dogs equally, but we have special bonds with one or the other. For example Max and my wife will sit together in her chair crafting while Lucy and I go for rides in the truck. Lucy loves to go riding with me in the truck unlike Max who trembles every time you open the car door. I taught Lucy all of the normal dog tricks like sit, stay, come and so on. She can shake; give hugs and kisses on command. When I ask her who is here she goes to the window and will bark if anyone is at the house or driving by. Max on the other hand has barely mastered sit and stay.  Likewise both dogs have special attributes. Max can always tell if there are any animals around the house or in the woods. His nose is truly that of a hound, I often will see him flowing a sent zigzagging this way and that.  Lucy sometimes can’t smell a French fry even when you drop it right in front of her. Lucy is without a doubt a true protector of the family and a great judge of character. She has on several occasions put herself in between a family member and an unknown person. Max on the other hand runs away from most people scared or will wait to see what Lucy does. Lucy can tell if you are a good person or not and whether or not I should be careful around you. The hair on her back stands up in a solid line and she gets a mean look on her face constantly looking up at me as to say “dad I don’t know about this guy”.

Being a dog owner is a lot of work and defiantly costs a lot of money. Even though both of my dogs drive me nuts, I still love them. Their bad habits and their good ones to remind me of us humans, God knows none of us are perfect and it is how we are different that makes us unique. Max and Lucy are special because they are a part of my family. Despite all the things that irritate me about Max and Lucy I cannot imagine our family without them especially my Lucy girl. I thank God for all the truck rides with Lucy as my co-pilot these are memories I will keep forever. I feel comfortable saying that being a dog owner is well worth the price you pay.