| Blue; my Labrador was just as smart, if not smarted then those dogs I watched on TV. With only an hour tops of training, we were able to teach him to climb ladders, play �dead�, jump fences, balance a cookie on his nose, and much more! If this dog could learn all these tricks, and just such a short time, just imagine if he were human. I have no doubt in my mind, that if dogs were �built� like humans, they would be able to read and write just like us. I have often heard people say �well if dogs were so smart, how come they haven�t learned to talk?� I had to reply these people �are you kidding?� There is no doubt in my mind that dogs can talk. They just speak a different language. I won�t get into this now though, for I will cover it in years �Thirteen and �Fourteen�. |
| Year Seven |
| In late June, I had asked my parents for a dog. They had heard this many times, in fact until this day I still always ask for another dog. What can I say? The more the merrier! Anyway, I hadn�t ever expected to get one of coarse. In fact, I had given up all hope, and asked for other new toys. I still had Blue at the time, he was now Six. He was still a young dog, and I never stopped having fun with him, but he was my oldest sister, Ana�s dog. He would follow her everywhere, and howl if she left him. There was no thinking otherwise, Blue was all hers. He had such faith towards her, it was really amazing. He had always reminded me of the Golden Retriever from the classic movie �Homeward Bound�. It was about two weeks before my Seventh Birthday, and my mom had brought me to go see some puppies that our friends had. They were Chihuahua crossed with Pomeranian, and were the sweetest little things ever! I was holding one with little black ears; he looked much like a little teddy bear, when mom said those words to me. She said �Do you like him?� of coarse I replied �YEAH!� then she said �Happy Birthday�. The owner of the puppies� mother handed me the little runt; she was a tan color, with white markings. I couldn�t believe it, my own dog! My very own dog! That first year with Daphne (which is what I named the puppy) was one of the more exciting. She never left my side (just as Blue was to Ana), and we bonded then more then other. |
| Years Eight and Nine |
| I took that little dog with me everywhere! She was, in no other words to describe it, my shadow. Everyone has seen the typical movies where there�s the little kid and his/her dog. The dog that teaches them all about friendship, respect, responsibility, and Love. Well, Daphne was just that. At the time I didn�t realize it, I just thought she was my buddy, my playmate. We would spend all hours of the day just playing in the forest behind our house. She would never complain like a human would. She would never tell me that the game wasn�t fun, and she would never tell me that what I was doing was wrong. In fact she did just opposite of that; she always encouraged me to keep playing. To stretch my imagination further! That is one difference between humans and animals that I have greatly noticed. When on a hike through the woods, a human would always find some excuse to complain. Whether it be that the bugs are eating them, that it�s too cold, or that their tired, they will complain. Humans are full of emotions, just like dogs, but dogs are given one feeling that humans can never express quite as well as a human; gratitude. While this human is complaining, the dog is enjoying the hike. They are not worrying about the bugs because they are too occupied with their surroundings. A dog will never complain that they are too cold, because they know they have their human to keep them warm, and that just being with them is more rewarding that being warm. A dog will not complain that they are tired, for they will put themselves through anything, just to please their owners. It is because of this gratitude, that us humans have to take care of our Canine friends. If we do not, they surely will try not to bother us with complaining. After Daphne was hit by a car and died (May 22nd 1995 � July 21st 1998), I felt as if my world had come to an end. It was then that I realized what that little dog had taught me. Sure she was hard to train, had little dog syndrome (where they think there big dogs), and never came when she was called. Sure she barked at everything, including rain, but she was my best friend above all. She taught me about friendship, and if it wasn�t for her, I probably would have stayed shy forever. She was the one who helped me meet new people, with her around; it was just easier to talk to people. For all of this, I thank my Daphne, I couldn�t have asked for anything else in the world. |
| Index / Training / Australian Shepherd / Border Collie / About Hazel / Pictures / Other Pets / Credits and Links / Contact Me / Aggression / Awards/ Agility / Agility Madness / Health & Nutrition / Writen Work / |