Ya gotta go, ya gotta go...

The last thing that any of us might want to do is get out of a nice, warm bed at 4:30 a.m. to let the dog out. but that is exactly what happened this morning, at 4:30, on this dark and cold January. Dizzy Doodle decided that he needed a touch of Jack Frost, wanting to color the backyard snow with a yellow tinge that can only be one of two things. One of two things is spilled beer.

This was not what Diz had in mind. He had the OTHER yellow liquid in thought, and in bladder, as he stood in the bed, jumped loudly to the wood floor, and pranced across through the kitchen to the back door. I tried to deny it for two minutes, but as we all know, water will find its own way. So I, too, needed a trip. And I got my trip before Dizzy got his. Frankly, its better for him that way since I was far more patient than had it been the other way around.

Fact is, Sterling Hayden was right. He played Capt McCluskey in The Godfather (best movie EVER!). In the restaurant scene Michael Corleone asks to be allowed to visit the Men's Room, as we knew to get the gun hidden there. Salazzo looks to McCluskey for his thought, and the good Irish police captain said, "Ya gotta go, ya gotta go."

No better way to explain the process. The urge for man AND beast is involuntary, control will only take you so far.

But enough urology.

This morning did cause me to ponder a few things, however.

One, if I had waited longer would my wife had gotten up instead? Unsure, since she was snoring quite a bit at that point, and my preference is to believe that she wasn't faking THAT at least.

Second, could Disney have waited another hour until the alarm went off? Something we will never know.

But the third thing is far more important. That is, how complete the responsibility is that we have for those in our charge.

My barber is preparing to take his family to Disneyworld. Aside from the fact that I must be tipping him too much, I understood his concern for this 4 year old. He fears that his speedy toddler will try to run for fun, and for any of us who have visited the Magic Kingdom with awe and wonder (followed by high credit card debt) we know that the size of the crowds, the parks nooks and crannies, can all offer an element of fear as we fully desire to keep safe those for whom we are responsible. They depend upon us, for good or ill. They rely on us, and we have promised that we will keep them safe, secure, providing for all of their needs as best we can.

Any of us who own pets understand this. Diz looks to Kathy and I to feed him, offer him water, be sure he's healthy, and to let him have time for fun AND to care for all of his "other" needs. He, like any child, is completely dependant upon us. And UNLIKE most any child, he will be for his whole life.

When we initially got our first dog, Brody, I had a lot of trepidation. And in some ways, I was right. Within a week, Brody broke out of the house and fled the scene for parts unknown. I was apoplectic, crushed, heartbroken and afraid. Streets around here are busy, and I was convinced that I'd never see him alive again.

I told Kathy that I couldn't handle being a doggie daddy. I wasn't good enough. Yet within minutes, Brody showed up in front of the house. We coaxed him in with the help of a neighbor, but he DID come back. I was astonished. But I was real happy.

I came to learn, particularly with this dog, that safety and security was prime. Running was in his nature and there was nothing I could do about it except try to prevent it, and find him when I could't.

Brody escaped several times over the years, but luckily he never was injured. His demise was cancer, and I still remember that in my caring for him, my fear was that we kept him for too long. Sometimes letting go is a part of keeping safe.

So Dizzy Doodle, McCluskey was right: Ya gotta go, ya gotta go. But can we make later next time?

Peace.