Dog star

The hottest days of summer are often referred to as “the dog days” this is because the dog star, Sirius, rises and sets with the sun at this time of year. It is the brightest star in the sky, you see, and in ancient times they thought its heat added to that of the sun and that was why it got so hot. For me, however, the dog days come later they are later in the summer when I have time to work with Ella and attend dog shows. This weekend we are doing obedience and rally obedience, hoping for more blue ribbons to add to our collection. In truth, though, the ribbons are not the real aim rather, we are just spending quality time together.

Having a dog is a fantastic experience, in short because dogs are creatures that know how to love unconditionally. They will treat you with the same enthusiasm whether you had a good day or a bad one, they will be just as excited to see you after ten minutes away or ten days, and they can often be wonderful comic relief.

Ella is a Chocolate Labrador Retriever, my breed (and colour) of choice. She is cute (I tell people she practices looking cute when no one is around) and she has a wonderful smile. She loves to be with people, and is curious to know what is going on (if nothing is going on, she likes snoozing). How can you not love someone with those qualities? She reminds me every day about the joys of living in the moment. Every time she chases her tail with complete abandon I smile. All I have to do it tell her to try to catch it by going the other way, and she does! She is a foodie, too: she loves the berries we grow in the yard, and fresh garden cucumbers and carrots and beans. I suppose I should really say she is a gourmand, as in truth, she is simply motivated by her tummy. She will do anything for food.

Spending time working with Ella has been a great learning experience. We have to work as a team if I am not crystal clear in my instructions and signals to her, she isn’t clear on what I want. She is a breed of dog that loves to please people and loves to learn, so she will try to do what she thinks I want. Since she doesn’t talk, I have to ensure I communicate really well. That’s a skill I figure I can always keep practicing…

I am hopeful that all the sessions with rewards of berries, popcorn or simple dog biscuits will pay off this weekend when I ask her to jump and fetch and come and lie down in mid-stride (that’s the toughest one). If the judges have a sense of humour they will likely enjoy her method of bouncing over the jump like a deer, and pouncing on the dumbbell she must retrieve (this is not considered good technical form, but I can’t help but enjoy her technique). If the stars are truly aligned I will not muck up my footwork, or give the wrong command to mess her up. But in the end, we’ll get to see other “dog people” and we’ll have some fun together. She is always a star in my books, even without more blue ribbons.

Even if you don’t have a dog, I wish you a lazy, happy last weekend of summer.

Kristin

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.