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Every Day is Precious: 'Boot Camp' gets boisterous bundle of love in line
By ROB PAYNE
For Williamson A.M.
Our 14-year-old dog and family member Noodles passed away towards the end of last year. We all grieved but I think Marcy and our kids were most worried that I would take advantage of this opportunity to realize a permanent net loss in our home pet population. They were correctly concerned that I would want to stay with two dogs rather than three in our home with the two cats, the bird, and whatever creatures our 10-year-old daughter Darcy has caught recently.
After all, I am unemployed, staying at home to care for Marcy. Here we are, living on the love of others do we need another mouth to feed, vet bill to pay, Frontline treatment to buy, or the other expenses associated with a pet? Not to mention the time needed for a pet did I need something else to do?
But, like most of the dads I see on TV, I caved and we allowed Sunny in our life and our home. It didn't really seem like a practical idea, even at the time, but there was a dark cloud over the house that wasn't normal and needed to be chased away.
Sunny did add life to the house boy did he ever. He is a rat terrorist, I mean rat terrier, not coincidentally born on 9/11. When we first met, even for me, it was love at first sight. He is very, very cute. And he was very docile and well behaved during our first meeting.
But he soon livened up and chased away that dark cloud over our house. He also chased the cats, chased the dogs, chewed up anything on the floor, and rummaged through bathroom trashcans. Even with the work with the animal shelter, I guess I had forgotten (or blocked out) what it was like to have a puppy. And I have never spent much time around this kind of dog.
If you're not familiar with the breed, a rat terrier is a Jack Russell terrier after drinking three pots of coffee. I have to admit, his behavior was a little overwhelming. But when he started nipping at Darcy, even Marcy said something had to change. He needed some basic training. He needed boot camp.
That's when our friends at Cumberland Canine (www.cumberlandcanine.com) offered to help. We know Jim and Tammy from Marcy's days at Happy Tales. They now have a state-of-the-art facility with 10 employees and lots of happy customers.
Sunny came back from almost four weeks of boot camp Tuesday of this week and the difference is amazing. He is still wound a little tighter than most of us but he has learned commands and obeys them when spoken in a normal tone of voice. We are also giving him hand signals that Jim and Tammy say, with practice, will work as well as the verbal commands. Sunny will sit, lay down, heel, come, and stay in a ''place'' that we designate. He still has life in his face and love in his heart, but he does what we tell him to do.
I think a dog knows that his whole reason for being is to please his master. The trick is in teaching the human how to constructively and consistently tell the dog what pleases him. Jim and Tammy taught us how to give little corrections when Sunny displeases and lots of love when he pleases.
I would like to do a better job of remembering that my whole reason for being is the same as Sunny's: to please my Master. I know that, thanks to Jesus, I live in grace. But I think I might need fewer corrections and see a lot more love if I would just learn and listen to his commands.
If you know a family in need, consider putting your professional skills whatever they are to work for them. Even if you don't run a training facility, you could help them learn a lesson in love.
Every Day Is Precious is a column to remind us to treat everyone we see today as if it could be the last time we see them. It is written by Rob Payne, whose wife, Marcy, was diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease) in August 2000. Now 41 years old, she has gone from winning 5 and 10K races to being quadriplegic and on a ventilator at home. For a collection of these columns in book form or more about Marcy, visit www.EveryDayIsPrecious.com. If you have helped someone without being asked, or know someone who has, share it with others. Send to rob@everydayisprecious.com.
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