Heart Like a Dog

The Good, the Bad, and the Oh My God of living with dogs!

A Day of Thanks

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Today is Thanksgiving here, in a few short hours we will gather family and friends together and sit down to enjoy a meal together.

I’ve many things to be thankful for, not just this year but every year.  I have family and friends who love me, a wonderful blog family, a roof over my head, a decent home, a job, not to mention two wonderful dogs who I love dearly.

Throw in an (almost) five-year old grandson who still thinks going to Mimi’s house is the greatest gift in the world and an (almost) two-year old granddaughter who can now say, “I ol you Mimi” and it doesn’t get much better.

Yes, those are all wonderful things to be thankful for, and I am grateful for them every single day.

I thought today, it’d be nice to share something other than the traditional things that one normally is grateful for.

I wanted to write a beautiful piece about all the unsung heroes who get taken for granted every day, with little to no thanks.

  • People like our soldiers who sacrifice personal lives to protect our freedoms and uphold the motto, “Land of the free and home of the brave.
  • Firefighters and policemen and emergency personnel who work regardless of holidays to keep us safe.
  • Doctors and nurses working tirelessly in the hospitals to save lives.
  • Animal rescue workers who are out on the front line, experiencing the horrors that I myself can’t handle, helping those that can’t help themselves escape from the cruelty of man.

And all of those, I can’t think of.

Yes, I wanted to write a beautiful piece but somehow the words wouldn’t come, instead I offer this, a simple yet heartfelt thanks, and wish you all a safe and Happy Thanksgiving.

Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at Heart Like a Dog!

 

Are there any unsung heroes, that you can think of?

Shining Star

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Last night Delilah and I had our second tricks class.  Can I tell you something?

Delilah and I have had our share of go-rounds.  You know it, because I’ve shared it here with you. Even with the challenges she’s faced, I know deep down in my heart what a good dog she is.  And there is one place where it shows.

My dog shines in the classroom setting.

We walk into the classroom and she is focused on me, waiting and watching and willing to learn.

Our task was to learn three tricks last night, play dead, roll-over and crawl.

I forgot my point and shoot, so I had to use my cell phone, which isn’t easy to work when you’re the one doing the training.

Our instructor was quite pleased with the progress we made playing dead and rolling over.  She then asked if she could borrow Delilah to show us how to teach them to crawl.

I giggled a little inside because I’ve been trying to get Delilah to crawl for about four years.

Yup, she got out there and crawled across the floor.

When I got home I had Hubby take a video of us doing each of the tricks. Please excuse the poor lighting and my messy housekeeping, I just wanted to show you what she learned.

(Excuse my ass.)

There was a new woman in our class last night. From what I could tell her husband was supposed to meet her there with their dog but he got stuck in traffic, so she just hung out observing.  She happened to sit right near Delilah and I and we ran into her on our way out.  She asked if she could pet Delilah and then she said, she has such a calming peaceful effect.

I said, REALLY?  I don’t think so.

But the more I thought about it, the more I realized she really is a shining star.

Is there an area where your dog shines?

Have you voted in the Dogs of Blogville Calendar contest yet?

Laprador Retrievers

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There are certain spots on our walks where the dogs like to run off to investigate.  These areas are usually deep in the center of the woods, if I had to guess I would say it is where the deer sleep at night.  Either that or it’s the deer’s toilet, either way it’s worth investigating to Sampson and Delilah.

Since Sandy the Hurricane came through here last week there are even more limbs and branches down.   If the branch is on the smaller side, I or Hubby attempt to move it off trail.  Even so, there are still a number of areas where trees block the path.

If the dogs are close by me in these spots, I will usually approach and say, “Jump.”  I think it’s helpful to Delilah to understand the term in an area other than the agility ring.  (I could be wrong, but please…just humor me.)

Saturday Delilah decided to run off to investigate, she hopped over a bunch of branches that had to be about 3 1/2 feet high/wide.  I looked at Hubby and said, did you see that?  Her athleticism never ceases to amaze me.

Hubby said, she makes it look so easy too.

Saturday night Delilah did something that reminded me of an incident that took place at our other house.  That house has a lovely bay window.  I always dreamed of lining that window with pillows or cushions to make it a nice cozy reading area.  But I never did.

Delilah lived with us in that house for five months, before we moved to our current house.  She always gets super excited when we come home from work.

On this particular day I was already home and was sitting on the couch when Hubby pulled in.  Delilah ran, jumped and with one movement sat in the bay window like a cat would.

Did I have my camera ready?

Of course not.

But I did have it ready on Saturday.

 

What do you mean, I don’t fit? I’m a Laprador Retriever.

 

This is how dogs differ from people.  Dogs see something they want and they go for it, we see something we want and then we think of all the things that could prevent us from accomplishing our goal.

Dogs don’t have an understanding of can’t, they just do.  Some day I hope I have a heart like a dog.

Has your dog ever done anything that you never thought they would/could?  Please share in the comments.  Remember I may not be responding, but I’m reading them!!

My book count is at 6,863 words.
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