Dog Ownership...
So, as snarky as my teenage daughter can be, she made some good points while she was here. She asked why we had a dog when nobody seems to want to have her in the house, take care of her, or walk her much? She chases the cats, eats their litter, and wants constant attention and lots of play time. She will only do 'part' of her business outdoors, act like she's done, then come inside and be whining at the door again 6 minutes later. She's a lot of work. She makes messes, makes mistakes, and basically would test the patience of Job. She gets possessive of her food, her bones, her place by the sofa, her kennel. She shreds any stray paper, toy, or shoe.
She's still not quite a year old, with plenty of time where she has to mature and learn. She daily amazes me with her catching and fetching ability, ability to understand English and hand signals, capacity for affection and protectiveness. I also know, in my best moments, that she will only be a product of what we put into her. Though each dog has its own personality and temperament, it is up to us to guide her. Not that it's easy. She's an alpha female, to be sure. Having to keep her either in the garage or in the house, due to her tendency to knock down small neighbor children, and a whole lot of rainy months, has tried us all. She's not getting the 40 miles a day of running, jumping, chasing, and cattle herding this breed was meant to get. She has a lot of pent-up energy. Right now, she is in the garage. She was there all night. She could use a good, long walk. She needs breakfast. She needs lots of time to run around and be a ...dog. Here I am, in my p.j.'s, first cup of coffee...feeling guilty that I am not interested in making her the focal point of my morning, and then, of course, the entire day. My husband is a better 'dog person.' I tend to prefer the lazy cat, so I can be a lazy owner, I guess.
Then I remember something else. Small children. They don't contribute much in their first couple of years other than amazing cuteness and astounding growth. They bond themselves to your heart and soul, and you willingly spend your entire life focused on them, not really worrying about your sacrifices, but rather whether or not you are being a good parent, doing the right things to ensure the safety and well-being of your child.
Ok, dogs are not people, but like children, they get messy and make mistakes. They test your patience, they destroy household objects. They will behave badly. The point I am trying to make, I think- is that they need us. One day we may need them. Right now, we have a dog. We signed up for the lifelong care of this animal. There is no do-over. There is no "this is too much work, let's give her away to a nice rancher family." In other words, as with children, we have an obligation to train, care for, and nurture this animal. She considers herself part of our pack. We owe her our best. O.K. I admit it, I don't FEEL like going out into the drizzle, the wet, cold grass, to watch the dog poo. No, I really don't. I am not ready for the leash chewing, the barking, the excited wet paws on my thighs. I would rather just keep blogging about what I should do instead of actually doing it. I talk a good game.
Raw energy has so much potential. A raging river can destroy a valley and everything in it. Harness the energy with a dam, however, and power the town instead of flooding it. So, we must redirect and control the dog's energy, too. I need to go get my clothes and shoes on. There's a raging river in the garage...
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