The Dog Statue

We took a trip on Monday to the Boston Common and took some long-awaited rides on the carousel. The girls had a blast, and I was thrilled that we made the trip without the stroller. Yes, there was some shoulder-riding, but I wasn't pushing a stroller.

On the walk back to our car, we stopped by The Dog Statue. The Commonwealth Avenue Mall has quite a few memorials and monuments down its shady length. But The Dog Statue is not one of them. It's on Comm Ave, but it's at a private residence.

The Dog Statue pokes its snout out between two cement posts of a low fence. It has a ball nearby. The first time I saw it, I thought it was real. Because it looks like a black lab that has run out to the sidewalk and got stopped by his fence. But he's metal, doesn't bark, and doesn't make messes. A perfect city dog.

He's cute. And he makes me sad. I always wonder if he's modeled after a real dog that no longer greets passerbys on Comm Ave. It's the kind of statue that I would commission for a deceased pet. Yet he looks so friendly. The girls and I stop to pet him. He brings joy. Much like real dogs do. So I try not to get weepy around the girls. But he makes me think of the inevitable passing of our dogs. And the statues I'd love to commission for them... Ok, must stop that train of thought right there... (sniff sniff)

So I try to focus on the fact that I live in a city full of fun surprises like him. And give thanks for that. Because every city needs their version of The Dog Statue.