seriously serious … fun
There’s a summary in the News section this month of laws surrounding dog ownership. Which is all well and good to know, but to focus on that kind of must-do malarky is not what we first like to think about when it comes to our dogs. Dogs are about positive, life-enhancing pleasure, not effortful responsibility!
So, how does that wonderfully positive aspect of dog ownership ally with our own very effortful responsibility to look after other people’s dogs when they come and stay. How do we keep the joy alongside the responsibility?
The latter we obviously take very very seriously. But so we do for the former. And I think that’s a really important thing to remember when it comes to owning a dog (or looking after one for others) - just what a sheer blooming pleasure they are, and what fun!
Our latest ruse up here where we’re lucky enough to have private lakes and rivers is to take swimming to new levels by the addition of a paddle board and wetsuit to the HoM kit store. Yes, a faff (you can only imagine what it’s like trying to put on a wetsuit on the side of a lake surrounded by six excited Retrievers keen on getting in and getting on! And drying off both yourself and 12 happy ears afterwards before you can stagger back into the house and a cup of warming coffee is … frustrating. And chilly). But oh what fun it all is!
The shy ones can take water slowly, the livewires can leap and lunge, the long-distance professionals can trail round after the board on scenic laps, and the ones that like to be with you but keep their toes dry, can spectate from the safety of the bank.
What a giggle. What a joy. And not something for every day, but yet another treat in the HoM arsenal ready to be brought out and revelled in when the sky is blue, the dogs are in the mood and energy levels are up for a major seratonin boost.
Similarly with training.
‘Obedience’, as Aeschylus apparently once said, ‘is the mother of success and is wedded to safety’; and as such is obviously important. But not all Training needs to be about obedience and discipline. Olivia often works with dogs here for their sheer fun in learning a new trick, showing off, revelling in attention, causing a giggle. One here recently learned how to tap a paw at various shapes drawn on pieces of paper. It’s unlikely he remembered this trick a week later, it’s even more unlikely that he’ll ever be called upon to demonstrate his shape-recognition-skills in any useful kind of situation; but oh how he loved the happy hour he spent learning it!
It’s this kind of attitude that turns our ‘job’ into a joy, and is something that is as relevant for us all as dog owners as well as dog carers.
Yes, dog ownership is a serious business; but most of all it’s just downright joy. Enjoy them, they deserve it!
