A Thanksgiving Blessing For Dogs And Their Owners

A Thanksgiving Blessing For Dogs & Their Owners

This is a piece I wrote last Thanksgiving.  And today - in 2006, it's still appropriate.

It's Thanksgiving, our national holiday, this day of turkey, parades and football.  On Thanksgiving, we celebrate a feast and we give thanks for our food, our friends and family.

We rush to shop, to catch a plane home or drive to be with friends.  Some share their day in nursing homes or shelters, giving thanks with strangers, those in need, and giving of themselves.

And whether in a quiet moment while chopping the celery, or if we bow our heads at the table, we reflect on the year and give thanks for the blessings bestowed upon us.

The First Thanksgiving

In this 1915 painting by Jean Louis Gerome Ferris (1863–1930),  entitled "The First Thanksgiving", the artist makes clear his viewpoint that dogs were central to the Thanksgiving celebration. 

In a time when painters were literal in their work, Ferris places this dog in the center of the painting - as a companion to the Pilgrims, and sharing in the celebration, an integral part of life.

The dog is not positioned in the background nor partially hidden next to another, lesser figure in this work. The viewpoint of the painter is that this dog is central to the social structure - the dog is worthy companion and friend.

I couldn't agree more with Mr. Ferris' interpretation.

So on this Thanksgiving, I wish to give thanks for my dog, and thank her for the blessings she has bestowed upon us. And I'd like to encourage you to do the same, with a Thanksgiving Blessing for Dogs.

Thanks and Blessings For Zsa Zsa

When we gather together this Thanksgiving, there is one soul on this earth that has made a difference in our lives, our dog, Zsa Zsa.  You probably feel the same way about your dog, too. As each of you gives thanks this season, you may want to remember those who may not be seated at the table, but under the table;-)

I give thanks to Zsa Zsa for her undying pledge of loyalty, for she would follow me to the ends of the earth, or to the basement to do laundry. 

I give thanks for her courage in the face of real danger or unknown squeaky toys.

I give thanks for her sense of humor, her silliness and ability to make us smile or laugh out loud in the face of a bad day at work or unfettered grumpiness. 

I give thanks for her love, her unconditional love, her boundless joy and deep well of happiness that she shares with us each day.

I give thanks for her spirit, bent but not broken from an unknown life on the streets of Newark. Scarred, but but only on the outside.

I give thanks for her resiliency, her healing has been ours.  And I give thanks to her for loving us, and not judging us for being the wrong breed.  Human.

It doesn't matter whether we're Republicans or Democrats, Libertarians, or what our ethnic background may be or what kind of car we drive.  It doesn't matter what kind of dog we own, either.  Just like Thanksgiving, our love of our dogs unites us.

Big or small, a shelter dog or a show dog. Yorkie, Rottie, Poodle  or Pug.  We love our dogs, and if we stop to think, we know that our dogs have given us so much for which we are grateful.

Thanksgiving. We will we sit down at the table this year, with family, with friends, I will count our blessings.  I will think of all of the things we have to be grateful for, large and small.

And as we go around the table, each of us will speak aloud the reasons for which we gather and give thanks, our Thanksgiving Blessings will always include our dog, The Princess Zsa Zsa, as she has made our lives so much richer.

To the Princess Zsa Zsa, my grandmother would say, "Why bless her little heart".

So to all of you, we send you special wishes for a Happy  Thanksgiving - and  the special dogs in your lives, love and blessings from the heart.

Comments

[ammitnme]

Happy Thanksgiving to you, Barb.
Thank you for your dedication to unite dog owners peacefully.
May this holiday season bring a true unity thoughout the dog world.

[LeeAnn O'Reilly]

Beautifully written Barb.

I give thanks to all my dogs,those that walk beside me in spirit for they made me get up off my duff and start fighting for their lives.

I give thanks to the two that walk now beside me in life.They have made me a much better person each and every day.

[Joel Tabor]

Amen to all above. Happy Thanksgiving and be carefull how much turkey ( and rasins if they're around)

[megan]

This just made me cry while at work. Thank you for writing it. I know that I am eternally grateful to my pit mix Mojo for helping to keep my head above the waters. Thank you once again.

[Mahlon Goer]

I love this essay -- thanks for putting it up again.

From New York, we're wishing you, Zsa Zsa, and dogs and dog lovers everywhere the feast of their dreams tomorrow!