I had heard about a Sunday evening spiritual gathering in my neighborhood and was curious to go and make some new friends. My husband and son decided to stay home so I went along looking forward to a quiet evening with like-minded folks. I arrived right on time and was greeted by my gracious hostess. As I entered the lovely living room, I actually screamed when I saw it! A pristine, white couch! The couple's Persian rugs still had all the fringe and the rungs on their wooden chairs were without bite marks. Their woodwork had no scratches or mud spatters and their screen door was still in tact! Right then and there I made the decision; these people could not survive one minute in my house.

Thats because the day our two Australian Shepherd puppies, Jesse and Harley, came into our lives was the day "that lived-in look" took on new meaning. Old towels now cover our kitchen wall and floor beside the newly installed "doggie door." Our spring flowers lost their blooms to curious taste buds long ago and the grass in our large backyard has all but turned to mud.

Trying to keep Jesse and Harley off the couch is like learning to fly by jumping off a cliff. We tried our round of obedience classes and agility training. We devoured the stack of dog books written by experts who ran the gamut in their advice from throwing a rolled up magazine at the dogs to ignoring them completely. As I stare at the once matching wicker tables and couch that have been dismantled piece by piece, I literally drool with anticipation remembering that day at the dog park when I heard one lady's hopeful story who told us her 3 year old Aussie is a couch potato and loves to sleep and take it easy! Under threat of attack to our remaining furniture, we now schedule the dogs' daily exercise time into our day timer right beside our other appointments.

All in all, would I turn back the clock if I had it to do all over again? Would I drive right by that open gate and leave that purebred Aussie trail behind?

What would my life be like without the smile on my young son's face as he wakes up every morning to his own furry cheerleading team? And when he stands in the living room with a handful of treats authoritatively spouting, "Sit! Now down! Come and sit! Hey, Mom, did you see that? They did it!" How could I even think of such a thing? Would I miss that sign my doorbell wears, "Don't ring. It makes the dogs go crazy"?

As I contemplate my life this past year, I look out the French doors to what's left of our backyard and I experience that rare moment when our puppies are lying side by side in a one-in-a-million pose with the sun gleaming on their fur and their noses tipped up to catch the cool morning breeze, and I remind myself, who needs a white couch, anyway?

Connie Bowen

Connie Bowen is best known for her stunning animal portraits now in private collections throughout the country. Her favorite modality combines realistic animal expression with impressionistic backgrounds. She is the author and/or illustrator of three children's books, as well as illustrator for Susan Chernak McElroy's books of animal stories. Her publishing clients include Unity House Books, Random House, and New World Library. Her children's book of affirmations, "I Believe In Me," won the National Athena award for book as mentor in the category of children's spirituality and has sold over 40,000 copies worldwide to date.