My dog Bailey Rae is one awesome canine. She just knows how to make me feel better, even if I have had a rotten day. Yet, while I may be one of her favorite people, I am not her favorite person overall. That title belongs to my mother.

Every time my mother visits, she absolutely loses all control of her emotions. She starts crying for joy and jumping up and down as my mother walks into the house. I feel that way anytime a George Clooney movie opens up in the area.

But when Bailey Rae sees my mother, she goes nuts, and I couldn’t get her attention even if I was holding a turkey leg in my hand. It would not matter; all she wants is to spend time with her grandma.

Now, it is not just my mother’s presence that leads to her joy. It is the anticipation of what grandma has in store for her that keeps her excited. Maybe my mom will bring a doggie treat. Maybe she will take her for a walk around the neighborhood. She has no idea what type of joy is ahead of her, but she knows it is there.

In addition, Bailey loves the thought of going over to my mother’s house. All I have to do is mention going to grandma’s house, and she is following me all around the house waiting for me to pick her and put her in my car. She can sense that a Disneyland for dogs is somewhere in her future. And as soon as we get into my car, she immediately begins looking into the distance hoping to see a white house with a couple of big dogs in front scaring off even the bravest of burglars. In this dog Mecca, she is provided a homemade meal made by her grandma and a playground in the back for her to sniff and walk at her own pace, not attached to any type of leash. I can tell that she knows this was all made possible thanks to her wonderful grandma.

She knows deep down that she is safe with her grandma since she was the one who saved her from a doggie death chamber or the abusive life she experienced with her previous owners. While I consider myself her doggie parent, she will always be devoted to her grandma, and her grandma will continue to provide her with the love that all animals deserve but very seldom get.

While her devotion to her grandma is great, she still loves me and shows it all the time. I will never forget after my surgery, that she somehow knew that she couldn’t get up on the bed like she used to. I was too sensitive for her to be climbing all over me, but she kept her eye on me. Even at 3 a.m., I would see her little head pop into my bedroom with a look of concern on her face. I could just tell she was asking me in her own doggie language, “Are you OK? I will go get grandma if you are not.” I guess she thinks that grandma can solve all of the world’s problems.

Katie Holland can be reached by email at kt_sue2002@yahoo.com.