The world is full of fake news. I don’t know what to believe anymore. So when I heard the latest scientific discovery about dog owners I wasn’t quite sure whether to accept it or reject it as fake news.
It seems research shows that dog owners have a 50% better chance of not suffering from heart ailments compared to non-dog owners. So that must mean vacuuming up all that dog hair, carrying a pooper scooper and a plastic bag for do-do removal, constantly having to remember to exercise your dog, getting the required shots and maintaining a healthy diet for your pet does not produce enough stress in your life to warrant the development of harmful heart ailments.
The dog’s faithfulness, sloppy tongue licks, cuddling on the sofa with you as you watch a Hallmark movie plus its excited greetings when you arrive home after work trump the afore mentioned duties and responsibilities. Stress melts away!
As I contemplated this potentially new scientific discovery a name popped into my head that I had not thought of for a long time, Benji. Benji was the cutest Irish Setter/Golden Lab cross puppy that I have ever seen. I can still see him as a puppy frolicking with his brothers and sister on the front porch of the house he lived in.
Our daughter was best friends with one of the family members and the two girls had conspired to get Mom and Dad ( my wife and I) to come look at the cute litter of puppies. So we did and the plan worked beautifully because we went home with one of those irresistible little balls of fluff. We named him Benji.
Now just as a side note. At this time in my life I did not take blood pressure medicine. Keep that fact in mind as we continue with this blog.
Benji quickly became a loving part of our family even though we had to survive the puppy stage of his life. He chewed things he wasn’t supposed to chew and littered our lawn constantly with his toys that ranged from partially eaten cottontail rabbits to our son’s favorite football.
I was pleasantly surprised that he was a natural hunter. In the fall after work I would occasionally grab my 20 gauge shotgun and Benji and I would take a quick hike around our eight acres in an attempt to scare up a rooster pheasant.
One afternoon as we waded through waste high brome grass and weeds a rooster pheasant burst into the air. I shot but only winged him and he plummeted to earth. I searched and searched but couldn’t find the wounded bird. Then I noticed Benji pawing at some flattened grass. I walked over and reached under the grass to discover the wounded pheasant hiding in a depression.
I rejoiced because I realized I had a natural born hunting dog as a member of our family.
The rejoicing was not a long term event however.
Soon it became evident that Benji had an ornery side to him. He was gentle and loving to all of us but he was very suspicious of any non-family members. I can still see the two seventy-five year old men who came to view our newly built country home one Saturday morning.
I heard Benji began to bark and then growl which was not a good sign. Looking out the window I see these two old men standing on the rear bumper of their pickup hanging on to the end gate for dear life! Benji was at their heels snarling and barking.
I rushed out the front door and called the dog off hoping neither of the older gentleman would collapse from a heart attack or even possibly dial up their lawyer to discuss how much the lawsuit should be.
However everything ended well and we were hoping that the attack was a once in a life time situation.
The little girl riding her bicycle past our house several days later got a terrifying surprise when Benji charged through the ditch, up onto the highway and took a nip out of her leg as she frantically peddled by.
Suddenly blood pressure meds seemed a real possibility for me. I could feel the 50% chance of having a healthy heart slipping away.
The final blow came later on that summer when an unsuspecting bike rider road past our house. He was an adventurer as he was planning to ride across America. He had duffle bags strapped to the front and back of his bicycle.
Benji took an immediate dislike for the moving duffle bags. He charged onto the highway and began a wrestling match with them as the bike rider screamed in fear. I’m sure he thought Benji’s next target would be his right leg, left leg or maybe both of them.
Hearing the screams family members came to the rescue and called the dog off.
Somewhere in America today there is an elderly gentleman gathering his grandchildren around him and retelling the adventure he had in western Minnesota when a huge, crazed dog tried to eat him and his duffle bags.
I was not home at the time of the attack but when I arrived and heard what had happened I believe that was the moment my body began crying out for blood pressure medication! The 50% chance of a healthier heart had disappeared.
So I did what I had to do. Carrying my 22 rifle I took Benji for a walk down to the creek where he had hunted, splashed in the water and played with our three children. When I returned I was alone and now I as well as the rest of my family were suffering from broken hearts.
I’m sure this newly discovered research of 50% healthier hearts for pet owners didn’t include a dog like Benji.
To this day, thanks to Benji, I still take blood pressure medicine but I just got a great idea. Maybe I should give that pet dog thing another try. If the dog is a little more docile I might even be able to get off my meds. If you hear of anyone with a pit bull for sale give me a call. 🙂
Until next time.