You know I have given a lot of thought the last few years about how dogs along the way have shaped me into what I am. I have realized that no matter what, boys just can’t grow up into men without good dogs to point them along the way. Naturally I believe Doberman Pinschers are those good dogs They love us unconditionally, and every boy exploits that, asking dogs to do things they probably shouldn’t, to go places they shouldn’t go and even to take the blame and wrath of mom and dad when we have done something wrong. That unconditional love I think teaches us about forgiveness. Not one of my dogs ever held a grudge for something stupid I asked them to do, and most of the time they would love me enough to do the stupid thing and let me learn a tough lesson. I remember “Teddy” a purebred “Heinz 57” (I was sure that was a breed until much later in life, my parents had convinced me so!) Teddy was my first exposure to protection dogs. I was only 8 at the time and mom had just given me a brand new winter coat, we lived in Midvale Utah at the time, and I was going to need that coat to get through the winter. We didn’t have much growing up, but I had Teddy. I can’t tell you what movie it was or tv show that inspired me to teach a dog to bite my arm, or why I thought that coat would do me any good, but Teddy and I worked on it all day one cold Saturday. Thanks to the terrier genes he had in his family tree, he was happy to play the game once we got started. He shredded that new coat, and with it my arm to some degree But he would quit when I asked him to, and I think it was that moment that changed the rest of my life. I had no idea how to train a dog, I just knew I loved him, and we did everything together. His training paid off one day as we were coming home and some neighborhood dog made a beeline for me while Teddy was pulling me down the street on my roller skates. Before that dog got close enough Teddy took care of it. I don’t know how he didn’t get hurt or killed, but we had love and loyalty between us. He learned to pull me on skates or sleds and stop when I asked him to, he would sit and shake, and sometimes he would stay until I turned my back We just worked things out, it is a magic that happens between a boy and his dog. Teddy went through two broken legs and surgeries to boot, he survived a patio roof collapse in a storm, he lived on love heaven knows as I wasn’t the best at feeding and cleaning. He taught me to swim and chase sticks and run through fields. There were many good dogs in my life like Teddy, and the most influential was of course Gretta a Doberman. Those stories will have to wait for another time though… The point is I am what I am for good or bad in large because of the dogs along the way. A boy just isn’t a boy without a dog. I had a sad call today from someone whose boy had just lost his red female dobe yesterday and his parents knew what it meant to that little boy. I reflected with sadness on those times I felt the same pains. I came in from that call back to the family room to see this:
Naturally I started crying and remembering naps just like that one. You can see Coco is wide awake but doesn’t dare disturb her little boy. Ethan has always been like that, when he threw tantrums as a one year old, it was always on Zenny’s bed under his watchful and concerned eye:
And with Texa’s new puppies, you guessed it, the dog that won’t even let my wife in the puppy room:
I sat and thought a long time about all of this today and I was so filled with gratitude that we get to share our lives with such special dogs. I am so grateful my three year old son has found what I found, a true friend. So here is a tribute to all those dogs along the way that shaped us into what we are, it must be similar for girls, as Grace loves the dogs every bit as much as Ty and Ethan, but where the red fern grows helps us to cement it into our boyhood minds. I hope this sentimental moment finds all of you well and enjoying your lives with these special friends, I hope you too are learning from them and slowly learning to love and forgive like them. I hope you shamelessly ask for what you want and need instead of beating around the bush with hidden agendas and I hope you enjoy a nap in the soft grass under the warm sun. Chase things in life you want with enthusiasm, and hang on to what you catch with all your might until it is time to let go. Smile for no reason, and wake up knowing each day is just your favorite thing. Try new things and be loyal to your friends, and fiercely defend your loved ones. Enjoy mud and swimming, and chewing on your favorite treat. Finally although Cliché, may we be the people our dogs think we are. Life is too short not to share it with a friend. thank all of you for sharing yours with us.
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