FAYETTEVILLE — Some four years ago our son, who is a family practice M.D. on the West Coast, phoned home with a message for his mother.

“Mom,” he said, “I generally suggest to my older patients that they get a dog for a pet and companionship.”

Marki went out that very afternoon, visited the Springdale Animal Shelter and found a young, half-grown beagle/ Shar pei mix. Marki and the hound were immediately attracted to each other.

Marki wasn’t permitted to bring “Annie” home because the shelter held strays for about two weeks in case the owner wouldappear. But Marki visited Annie every day and Annie recognized her possible new owner.

After two weeks the shelter informed Marki that Annie was hers. When she brought the dog into our house Annie seemed to say “I’m home!”

Our back room has a doggie door that opens to an enclosed back yard, so we don’t have any spotted rugs.

Annie’s greatest joy is taking walks with Marki. They take about six to eight short sidewalk treks daily.

The entire family has fallen in love with Annie, and she returns that love.

Some nights Annie sleepswith me, sometimes with Marki, and sometimes on the couch with our grandson Andrew when he spends the night with us. Sometimes she sleeps with herself. One might say Annie “sleeps around!”

And one other item about Annie: she likes human food.

She’ll eat anything you offer her.

She’ll eat from your table fork without letting her tongue or lips touch the fork. And when we finish a meal we set the plates on the floor and she licks them clean. I haven’t rinsed a single dish or plate since we got Annie!

LYELL THOMPSON / Fayetteville

Opinion, Pages 5 on 11/06/2009

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