It’s that special time of year when kids give their dads neckties, power tools, and hand-made greeting cards (sometimes including promises to do some extra chores) to celebrate Father’s Day. Father’s Day was first proposed in 1909 by Mrs. John Dodd to honor her father, William Smart, a Civil War veteran, who was widowed and raised six children by himself. It was after Mrs. Dodd became an adult that she realized the strength and selflessness her father had shown in raising his children as a single parent. In 1924, President Calvin Coolidge promoted the idea as a national day, but it wasn’t until 1966 that President Lyndon Johnson signed a presidential proclamation to honor dads. Father’s day has become a special day to honor fathers, and other men who act as a father figure—stepfathers, uncles, grandfathers and male friends who have been important influences in our lives.

Here are a few reasons that kids give for loving their dads:

• He runs our races right alongside of us. Unless he gets behind
• He protects us and keeps us safe
• He lets us have junk food when Mom isn’t looking
• He takes us to new places to do new things
• He often says, “Ask your mom,” when he doesn’t know the answer
• He complains a lot about the dog, but defends her when she gets in trouble.
• He sometimes complains about us kids too, but protects us big time from others.
• My dad claims he is tough, but he is really a softie at heart. Sometimes he is a pushover.
• My dad said No Dog in the House, but that rule only lasted a week. Now the dog sleeps with him in his lazy boy.
• My dad is the boss in our house. That’s because Mom put him in charge.
• My dad helps me do the dog chores…sometimes I forget and he feeds and waters her.
• He doesn’t know that sometimes he gets dog kisses on the face, right after she has licked herself in all her private places. But I figure what he doesn’t know won’t hurt him.
• Sometimes my dad makes me do things I don’t want to do, but he always says, “It’s because I love you…someday you’ll understand.”
• My dad is one of the most important people in the world to me… he is my friend, my hero, and the best dad in the world.

And then there’s Angie’s Father’s Day Story:

Our daughter Meg had left a BIG bag of candy on the table, and our Beagle Boy can reach the table, so while we were at church on Father’s Day morning, BB ate four candy bars and all the Hershey’s kisses, including the wrappers. When we got home and discovered what had happened, we called the emergency clinic and the vet told us we had to induce vomiting. Yeah…that’s what he said. Have you ever tried to get a dog to drink 3 tablespoons of hydrogen peroxide? NOT EASY. We missed the special Father’s Day dinner, and spent most of the afternoon outside in the yard. Finally he upchucked more gunk than you can possibly imagine…and trotted over to my husband to give him an unwelcome kiss. All he said was, “Well, I guess all’s well that ends well.”

Dads are special: they hold you tight, support you, guide you, teach you, hug you, and protect you. They defend you till they draw their last breath. They may not be able to give you everything you want, but they give you love, time, and attention. They give you the greatest gift anyone could give another person…they believe in you…… You can’t buy those things.

We wish all dads a relaxing, shoes off, wonderful kind of day…and lots of paw hugs and nose kisses from their four-legged friends.