Dear Ann Landers, I have had this essay for years and thought you might print it so your readers could enjoy it. -- Westminster, Md.
Dear Westminster, Thanks for sending it my way. The dog lovers in my reading audience will appreciate it.
"What Dogs Do for Us"
Catch Frisbees.
Keep a night alone from being truly lonely.
Get us outside on beautiful fall days, rainy days and snowy winter days.
Listen to our singing.
Treat us like celebrities when we come home.
Warm up our beds on cold nights.
Make our hearts more vigorous.
Alert us to the arrival of the mail.
Help us live a little longer.
Make us smile.
Agree with everything we say.
Warm our knees with their chins.
Provide a use for old tennis balls.
Signal when a thunderstorm is coming.
Pull sleds.
Help lower our blood pressure.
Test how fast we can run.
Keep the squirrels from overtaking our yards.
Teach us the meaning of unconditional love.
Hi! It's Margo here. I'd love to know what you think of the letters -- and the answers!
Also, any additional thoughts you might have. Thanks!
Please share your comments below:
Our Reader to Reader Question of the Week:
Dear Readers, , the woman who gave the $20 bill to the newly adopted Russian girl on the plane to Adanta. I am a teacher for the Department of Defense Dependents School in Weis- baden, Germany. You were right, Ann, when you said someone was sure to tell me about your column. I heard about it the day the column appeared. I had been out of the building most of the day, so I missed several calls. When I finished practicing with the German-American choir, a teacher friend told me my name was in Stars and Stripes, the news-paper for the Armed Forces. I said, “Yeah, right!” and laughed. She elaborated, “You are in Ann Landers’ column, and I am not kid-ding.” I insisted that I had never written to you, but my friend asked, “Did you meet a lady on a plane who adopted a child from Russia?” I couldn’t believe my ears. I bought the newspaper at once and read all the details. The Rest p f Ann L a n n f ns 2 b I Ann, that couple did such a good job with their little girl. By the time we arrived in Adanta, most of us did know about that sweet fam-ily because whenever her mother needed to leave for the rest room, the baby would scream. She was otherwise very well behaved. I wanted to express my appreciation to the adoptive parents for what they had done, but I had only a few seconds because the plane had landed and I needed to secure my luggage, go through customs and make my connecting flight. So I gave the little girl her first $20 bill. I am planning to come to the United States soon and hope to arrange a visit and see for myself how that litde girl is doing. Because of your column, I have received letters from all over the world. Friends I haven’t seen in 20 years have written. Many people do good deeds every day and never get recognized. You will never know how many lives you touch, Ann. I am honored that someone remembered my moment of thoughtfulness.
"At every party there are two kinds of people - those who want to go home and those who don't. The trouble is, they are usually married to each other."