Great things about being blind. Listening to dog tags.

I just called my guide dog and she came bounding up the stairs, wagging all over, so happy to be in the same room with me. I heard the happy jingle of her dog tags. I love that sound. It is so happy and bright. I've usually kept my dogs' tags on in the house. I can more easily hear what they're doing and like to know where they are. Even with similar tags on their collars, the dogs sound different. They move differently, walk differently. Tulia bounces when she walks so her tags have a particular spritely jingle. Gia's tags jingled with a slower more methodic noise especially as she got older. I still think I hear them sometimes. Yesterday, while out and digging through my purse, I found Gia's collar with her tags. I had taken it off at the vet before she died and left it in my purse. It is still there. Like a part of her is still with me. I won't remove it any time soon. When my first dog died of cancer, I kept her collar in my pocket for a long time. Her collar is in a box with her favourite toy. When I am ready, Gia's collar, and her quacking duck, will go into a special box for her. Tulia just bounced up to kiss me and her tags made that happpy sound that makes me smile when I hear it.