The No Dog Daycare Blues begins on Friday morning. The convention is starting, friends are gathering, and I am sitting at home because a delayed vaccine appointment kept my dogs from boarding. The song captures the humor, frustration, and wistfulness of missing something I had been looking forward to for months.
The convention starts this morning
And the parking lot will fill
Friends are finding seats together
Waiting for the program still
It’s true, I started planning early
To get the dogs all squared away
But Finn needed one more vaccine
Which kept pushing back the day
I’ve got the No Dog Daycare Blues
Izzi and Finn got other views
They don’t know what’s on the program
Or who’s giving interviews
Everybody’s heading out
Putting on their meeting shoes
And I’m sitting with my coffee
And the No Dog Daycare Blues
The livestream starts this morning
But I will not be crowned
No familiar hands are waving
No convention buzz around
Just a sofa and an iPad
Morning sunlight through the room
And two dogs who seem completely fine
With all this extra June
I’ve got the No Dog Daycare Blues
Izzi and Finn got other views
One is watching chickens outside
One is waiting for dog food
Miss the hugs and miss the chatter
Miss the seats I often choose
As the countdown clock gets closer
I’ve got the No Dog Daycare Blues
Funny how a missing vaccine
And a schedule running late
Can completely change a weekend
Even when you plan ahead
Still, the spiritual food is cooking
And the coffee’s tasting good
I’d be sitting there among them
If I somehow could
I’ve got the No Dog Daycare Blues
At least for now that’s mostly true
But the dogs keep looking at me
Like they’ve got a different view
When the special music starts
That’s the signal I will choose
To settle in right beside them
With the No Dog Daycare Blues
Maybe by tonight…
I’ll feel a little different.
We’ll see.
When my grandmother died, I was a little lost in my day-to-day caregiving life. I had seen how much a dog had helped revive my daughter’s spirits during the COVID era, and while I had never felt the strong need for a dog — in fact, it was the opposite — I decided it was time. My husband helped pick the perfect dog for me: a Portuguese Water Dog we call Izzi.
Izzi is one of Jehovah’s tender little provisions for my daily life. It has always made me smile that “dog” is “god” spelled backward, because in her own simple, furry way, she often reflects the kind of comfort I need most.
She does not fix my problems. She does not explain them. She just stays close.
She walks with me through ordinary days and hard ones. Her steady presence helps me breathe, keep moving, and remember that life is still full of small gifts.
Bringing Izzi into our life was deliberate. Adopting Finn, on the other hand, was more impulsive and driven by a desire to make sure Izzi had a companion. After all, we blithely said, “Having two dogs won’t be hard.” Famous last words!
Long story short, both of these dogs are wonderful in different ways. Izzi is the older, wiser presence, and Finn is the goofy kid with a LOT to learn. They may be a lot of work, but they are a big part of my day-to-day life now. When my convention plans fell through because of them, I tried to make lemonade from lemons — and I’m pretty happy with how sweet it turned out.
Enjoy the song.