Saturday
evening I was giving Doc his oral medication and we were on the back porch but were separated from the other dogs by a wire barrier. He was doing his tricks and getting a small
piece of cheese.
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| Next trick...Please |
Well the dogs on the
driveway very soon realized what we were doing, and that was snacking. Most of them came to the steps like quiet
children wanting something except Dutchess and she was barking.
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| Dutchess getting ready to bark |
They were all together on the steps except
the older dogs that were just behind the gang, watching. With all those puppy dog eyes and sad looks
they were telling me “they wanted a snack too”.
Like a good dad, I went to them and tried to comfort them but when
Dutchess would do the same tricks that Doc did at the same time, I gave in. She is so obsessed and knows what she wants,
and as I would give Doc a command, she would “shake”, “sit” and even went
“down” on that command too. I couldn’t
stand it, I went inside for another piece of cheese just so we all could share.
Like
little birds, I would break off a small piece and feed each one. I have learned that if I call their name, the
others won’t try to get the snack, but would watch intensely for the one
receiving it, to drop it, but none did, the snack barely saw the light of day
before it was gone. Clancy and Abbie
would hold back and watch. They wanted
it but just waited their turn. “Abbie” I
said, holding a piece of cheese, worked her way up to me and received the piece
while all eyes watched her and then it was Clancy’s turn and the other dogs
gave him a wide birth. All went well and
we soon ran out of cheese and off they went to another adventure.
The
things I do, you would thing I like dogs…In the beginning I didn’t want one but
it was the only alternative to keep the deer out of our garden and off our
property and the Border Collie we got from the newspaper was free, it was just a dog or so I thought.
Out
of this last litter a couple with a child acquired a “first” puppy. The wife had dog experience and the gentleman
just a little. I know the child and
mother would love the dog and the husband would tolerate the dog for them…or so
I thought.
In
a phone conversation with the gentleman, he told me of all the places they went
together and how much they enjoyed the new “dog” company, along with the walks they took
and tricks they taught their new pet. A
lot of the exchange was about the dog and this sounded familiar, funny how this changes. Border Collie owners have a tendency to tell
stories about their dog/dogs as you well know and I have to watch myself when
talking to someone, because it always ends up about the dog, as it should.
It’s
funny how they get into your heart and change your life, even for the
future. Once I was talking to a new owner
and they had mentioned that they would like to purchase a new house. “You’ll have to buy one that has a big yard
or some land” I said, “remember, you have to think of the needs of the dog,”
something they had already thought of too.
As
I sit back and think of all the changes I have willingly made and seen the
changes others have made too, it amazes me what we are willing to do.
I
know that most people will never understand the depth and love that we share
together, but then, they have never owned a Border Collie…and to think, I didn’t
want a dog…Ken
