this small, hairy (i'm told it isn't fur) quadruped is teaching me some lessons. perhaps i learned them once, and have forgotten.... after all, i did raise 4 children, who seem to have survived the ordeal without major psychological damage. surely they taught me some of these lessons. so far, he's taught (or reminded) me about:
forgiveness - when i get distracted and don't watch him as closely as i should (puppy trainers will tell you, "out of sight = in trouble") and i scold him and put him in his kennel for something that he really hadn't been told was not allowed - he comes out of his kennel wagging his tail, and glad to see me. it may be just the puppy equivalent of 'goldfish memory'. maybe he's already forgotten the incident, and he's merely glad to be let out. but he seems to learn very quickly not to do these things again, so i don't think they're forgotten. just forgiven.
acceptance - though he'd much prefer to be out romping all day, he philosophically accepts that i spend most of every day at a desk or working at the ReStore. he very quickly learned not to complain about it; he takes a nap under the desk until i'm ready to go for a walk. then he's delighted to go for a walk, with no recrimination.
hospitality - he's the friendliest creature i've ever met; always glad to see everyone, regardless of age, race, social status or species. he does, however, have a soft spot for puppies (of any species)
enthusiasm - whatever he does, he does with his whole heart. even in a room full of puppies, he stands out as the one having the MOST fun. he's a blur of motion and wagging tail, racing from one friend to the next.
unconditional love - he doesn't care what my truck looks like, what my clothes look like, or how big my house is. he doesn't even judge me for the kind of food i give him. he just loves seeing me when he wakes up in the morning, always looks delighted when i call his name, and is sad to see me leave without him.
and he's doing a pretty good job of training me.
10 comments:
Maestro is just so, so adorable.
I don't know what I would do without my Mingus, I've probably said it before. He is especially lovey in the morning.
As for hospitality, there are so many lonely people it is a shame it has become a lost art.
ahh. i see the problem.
you haven't set your pup down in front of a computer yet.
when he learns twitter, facebook and world of warcraft, he'll forget all those things and become unforgiving, quick-tempered and inhospitable.
just like everyone else.
i love your story about walking into a stranger's house and saying 'you're not my grandma.'
it reminds me of a movie-- i think it was called european vacation starring chevy chase.
he takes his family (to holland?) and they knock on an old couple's door. mistaking the old couple for family relatives, they stay for a few days.
when they finally leave, the old couple turn to each other and the husband goes 'who was that?' the wife says 'i don't know.'
at least you knew.
do your pup a favor and put him in front of a television while you work.
did you know when you leave comments on susan's or my blog, your link back doesn't work? i click on your name and... nothing. luckily, i have you on my favorites list... i say this in case you weren't aware of it. i think some people hotkey their web addresses...
ahh i just looked. instead of putting in your web address where it says URL, http://grannyfiddler-northofsanity.blogspot.com/, you put your in email address.
when your pup learns how to do email, he'll stop talking to you. just f.y.i.
heart of gold!!
cicero - i'm having serious separation anxiety about leaving him for 2 upcoming business trips.... mornings will seem desolate without that warm head in my lap as i have my first cuppa.
sera - keep this a secret, but i'm planning to shelter my pup from technology. for instance, this evening, after i finish my supper and my weekly Friday Guinness, we're going down to the dog park so he can run till he drops. (and then have a bath because after all those other dogs have mouthed him, and rolled around on the ground with him he's filthy and he stinks) and he's pretty talkative, so i'm not worried about him not talking to me.... sometimes i wish he'd talk less. i think i fixed the link thing. let me know if it's still not working. not my best thing.
claire - he is. i'm hopelessly in love.
your link works!
but i don't know how you can live without watching gossip girl or project runway on television.
it's no wonder you are always accomplishing things! there isn't anything else to do...
sera - LOL!! i got out of the habit of television because watching it gave me migraine headaches, and i've never been very good at sitting still. i was also one of those weird parents who put a quota on their kids' t.v. time. they managed to grow into pretty amazing adults despite my backward ways..... and 2 of them actually make their living in techno-fields - one a dept manager in a big-box electronics store, and the other a computer engineer.
I've never seen so many dogs in years as I see here in Halifax. Almost every ride up or down in the elevator sees a dog accompanying somebody. Alas, it isn't me.
Your Maestro is just about the most beautiful pup I've ever seen so it's extra good to know he's one of the wisest too.
su - yes, still very adorable, but now, at just over 4 months, he's beginning to feel his oats and test the limits. yesterday he trotted over to one of the few remaining swatches of carpet (on the stair landing) turned to look me in the eye, squatted and piddled, as if to say, "you think you're the boss? what are you going to do about THIS?" prior to this he'd had 2 or 3 'accidents' in the house in all our time together. i'm certain this was NOT accidental, but deliberate. he'd been yappy and obstreperous all day, lunging and snapping whenever i took him out on the leash. and my nerves were on edge with all of it. i'd just taken him for a romp at the dog park to run off some of that pent up energy, and waited around in the cold for nearly an hour so he could have some frisky fun..... so with this blatant act of defiance, i completely lost it. picked him up by the scruff of the neck (quite astonishing in itself, as he's probably 30 lb now) and launched him out the back door... not the sort of response the puppy trainers encourage, i know.... i wasn't rational. so, though he's mostly a lovely fellow, he's capable of being an obnoxious, boneheaded hairball too.
Oh dear, when we got our beautiful b&w Garth it was deep winter in Toronto so we paper trained him until he had enough hair and it was warm enough for his 'business' outside. He took some convincing not to go if he saw someone reading a newspaper.
So he's 30 lb at 4 months? How big is he going to get by the time he's done growing? It may turn out he'll be quite strong enough to paddle that kayak himself once he reaches the mature and responsible stage. In the meanwhile I don't blame you a bit for your moment of irrationality, you strong woman :-)
he'll probably top off in the neighborhood of 60 lb. large midsize is how they describe the breed.
he's been really lovely the last little while in part, i think, because i now walk him with his leash attached to a 'halty' head harness, which pulls his chin down whenever he pulls. my elbow and shoulder just can't take all the joyous lurching and lunging. he had this trick of racing top speed to the end of his leash and letting the sudden stop flip him around. great fun.... and amusing when he was 3 pounds. not so much any more. but the good behaviour is seldom permanent.... we're probably due for some acting up soon
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