The only way to learn

I think that Rudolph is getting an addition nickname besides just Rudy.   “The Mugger” seems fitting as we probably mugged people for 15-20 treats tonight.  This guy has done the math.  Sit = Treat.   So, we find someone else walking a dog in the park.   We get right in their face.   We look menacing….then sit and get all puppy faced.   This usually equates to the person saying something along the lines of “You’re such a good boy” and then a reach into the pocket produces a treat for Rudy.   As his accomplice, I just smile and agree with the person and then we head on down the path to find our next victim.   He has it down to a science.   One smooth operator…...and me.   I love it.

We started off walking with Zoey again.   We met some other dogs along the way.   Talked with other people.   After a while (and a few flat out sprints), I noticed that Rudy was going on his own a bit.   So, I went with it.   We walked together.   We stopped for a photo opportunity and kisses (I did not return them) in a picnic shelter.   We hung out.   We chatted (no surprise that I did most of the talking).   We didn’t just do mindless laps around a park.   We did stuff together.   When we got back at the end of the walk, we sat on the curb for a bit and just hung out.   It was awesome.   Just a couple of guys sittin’ around.      

I really wish that parts of my current situation were a bit different.   This is one great dog.   I often wonder how he and Irving would get along together and If I could run with them both.   The more time I spend, the more I like him.   The more I like him, the more difficult it becomes to leave at the end of the evening.   Part of this is because of the fact that Rudolph always has a way of pushing me to learn more.   I’ve walked with him 8 or 9 times and at this point, you’d think that as a younger dog, he’d be out of lessons for me.   He’s not.   He never fails to teach me something.

 

When I showed up, I had an agenda of walking around the park in mind with a cool dog and by thinking that, I forgot about how much this hour means to him every week.   It’s his time to get out and do things.   Think about the things that you want to do every week.   Imagine having to fit all of that into one hour.   Could you?    What if you only got one hour per week to get out and “play”.   It took a while for me to figure this out.   He wanted to do things and I needed to facilitate that.   I straightened up.   We made sure that we sniffed trees.   We ran.    We walked in totally random directions.   We had a great time.   

Listen.   That’s the only way to figure out what you need to do.   

Tough Decisions

A tongue for treats.....and kisses!

Familiar things can be good and bad. I was more than happy to walk with Rudolph this evening. I am sad that he isn’t in a forever home…yet. I will state that as difficult as it is, I’m ok with it. The person that Rudy met last week as a possible adopter decided that maybe Rudolph wasn’t the best fit for their home. I’m glad that they reached that decision earlier rather than later and I hold no hard feelings on that. It’s a very difficult call to make, but they felt that they had reason to do so. It takes a strong will act on that. Although it wasn’t Rudolph, I’m pretty confident that the person will be adopting a rescue dog in the near future, and that in itself is a wonderful thing. I sincerely hope that Rudolph gets adopted soon, and I do think that it will happen. Patience is a virtue that Rudy has much more of than I. Maybe even some day he and Irving could hang out together. Who knows...

As Rudolph and I walked with one of the other volunteers and Queenie, I was told that “as soon as Rudolph heard your voice, he started jumping and got all sorts of excited.” It feels good to know that what I’m doing can get someone that excited. In some ways, I think that I’m one of the highlights of the week for him. In some ways, working with him is the highlight of mine also. What I give in treats, I receive back 10-fold in understanding, loyalty, life lessons, and kisses.

What did I learn from today? Rudolph has shown me that he is constantly learning. Constantly evolving. I need to follow his lead in that. As he and I have walked together, I see him get more and more excited for our walks as he starts to grasp how much there is to learn. As he gets better about sit, stay, up, and wait, I can see that he’s thinking, “Ok, got it. What’s the next trick that’s going to make you happy (and earn me a treat maybe)?” He’s soaking up knowledge like a sponge. He wants to explore. He wants to play. He wants to thrive. He really wants to be a companion. He wants to learn from someone. I find that awesome and admirable. This is one really smart dog and I’m amazed at how much he has taught me. Wow……...

Leading, when you need to

Yup.    Monday.   That means another walk at One of A Kind.   When I walk in, it’s not even a question as to who I’ll be walking with. I’m greeted with “Rudolph is waiting for ya”.   I peek in the window and I see a dog that is ready and waiting to go.   Like a battery that’s been charging all week and is ready burn up all of that energy at once.   I say hi with a treat, hook the leash on, and we head out to the park.

Once we get to the park, it’s go time!   We ran almost a full lap.   We generally followed the path, but there were some “off path excursions”.    (Hey, you have to stop and smell the roses…...or in this case, where other dogs have pee’d).   We had a blast, but sometimes running with Rudolph is a bit tough.   He runs in front of, beside, behind, then in front, then stops to sniff, then off to the side, then takes off like a shot, then to the……..you get the idea.   I realized two separate things at this point.   The first part is that without leadership, things aren’t efficient.   They don’t stay on task.   I was letting Rudy lead and the priority for him was really just to follow the next smell.   He sorta-kinda followed the path, but we were all over it.   We weren’t really getting anywhere.   For us to actually walk around the park the best he needed a leader to guide him.   Being on the other end of the leash, that was up to me.    

Taking my leadership responsibilities a bit more seriously, I started to offer my guidance to keep him on track.   As I started to rein him in and point in directions, he did great.  He walked next to me.   He checked other things out, but did his best to stay on task.   While doing this, I could tell he just was ready to explode though.   That’s when the second part hit me.   “Why are we restraining what we’re doing?”   This guy doesn’t get walks in the park but once a week.    Should the whole hour be filled with rules and work?   Heck no!!!!!!   I looked down at the same time he looked up at me.   “Let’s go Rudy!”   We took off running like the wind and having a blast.   Sniffing, stopping, starting, and going in circles as he pleased.  It was his time for fun!   My second lesson…fun doesn’t always need to be organized.   Sometimes, it just needs to happen.

As we started going a bit bananas and having some fun, my phone rings.   It’s a call from One of A Kind.   “Hi Josh.   I was wondering if you could bring Rudolph back as there’s someone here that would like to meet him and maybe adopt him.”   I’ll be very honest, I’m not sure how I responded, but inside I said “@#$% yes we can!”   I scratched his chin, and said, “Let’s go buddy!   This could be your big chance!”   Straight across the middle of the park we went.   We didn’t need a path!    We needed a straight line to get us back as fast as 6 legs can carry us.   

We get back to the clinic and I’m doing my best to act like I didn’t just do a ½ mile sprint with the dog, and failing miserably.   I’m breathing like someone that ran a marathon while sucking air through a straw.   I do my best to compose myself and  we head into the room for a meet and greet.

  

Frankly, I think it’s better if I don’t say much about the meeting.  I will say that I’m very hopeful.   I very much hope that I will miss Rudy.   If I do, it’s because he has the forever home that he deserves.   For such a wonderful creature, this possibility makes me feel happier and more fulfilled than I have in a very long time.   We will see what happens, but if it means that Rudolph has his forever home, I’m more than willing to let someone else teach this old dog some new tricks.    

One wise dog

Tonight was another walk at www.oneofakindpets.com.   If I’m being honest, I was in some ways  dreading going there tonight as I have felt a bit stressed and animal shelters aren’t a relaxing environment.   Compounding this, I have a very strong sense of empathy.   What this has given me in the ability to bargain and understanding of how others feel, it has very much taken payment from me by making me comprehend some of the fear and confusion that are often found in situations like this.   Other than knowing I needed to help, I made this comparison in my head to push myself out the door:   “That uncomfortable burn is what makes me a better athlete when I’m training.   Maybe putting myself in an uncomfortable situation mentally can help me be a better person.”

Every time that I get to the clinic at One of A Kind, I hope that Rudolph isn’t there and is up for adoption and finding the forever home that he deserves.  I peeked in the window and saw that he was in his area, half asleep. As soon as he saw me, the tail started wagging. I'm happy to see that each week, that tail is having to do more and more work. Let's go buddy!

It started out as less of a walk once we got the park and turned into more of an all out sprint.   I guess Rudy thought that my 400m time needed some work because as we ran, he kept looking at me and the leash like “dude, toss the anchor out the back and let’s go!”   After a lap, we ended up stopping by a shelter in the park as we haven’t really investigated that so far.   I thought that it’d be a good opportunity for some training, so I got him to hop up on the bench and take a seat so I could take the worst picture both of us have probably ever been in.   (I never earned that photography merit badge)

At the end of the evening, we headed back to the shelter and it was a bit odd for me.   I was wondering what I lesson I was supposed to take from this evening.   Helping others always seems to teach me something, and Rudy is one to make sure that those lessons are hammered home.   Sometimes, lessons don’t sink in until later, and I figured that was the case here…..until we got back to the shelter.   

When we got back, I opened up Rudy’s kennel.   He walked right in, sat down, and waited for me to dispense the treat that I was holding in my hand.   He took the treat to his bed, laid down, and started munching away.   When I closed the gate, he stopped chewing long enough to look up and he seemed to give me a slight nod, almost as if he was saying “Thanks man.”   As I started to leave, I noticed his neighbors.   Both looked a bit confused as to what was happening and one had some obvious health issues.   I looked at Rudolph again.   He was OK.   He was calm.   He knew he was safe, well taken care of, fed, and loved.      

He was OK with the things he cannot change.   He has what he needs…not what he deserves, but what he needs....and he is OK with that.   

This is one really intelligent dog…

Helping one is OK

Tonight, I went for another walk with Rudolph. He looks a ton better this week! He has been getting medicated shampoo baths and that's been helping him out. A lot less sores and a ton more fur. It really makes me smile to see him getting better. As soon as Rudolph saw me through the window....he perked up. I honestly felt that he rememberd me from last week. He was excited. We walked....and ran. 2 more miles together. Tonight, I brought a little more sunshine into a life that was in desperate need of it. It's just over an hour out of my week. I'm pretty sure that it'll be remembered for both of our lifetimes.

It was earlier today when I had a thought that really hit home tonight with me.....

Don't let "I wish I could help them all" prevent you from making a difference for one.

It feels amazing. Don't take my word for it. Get out there, make a difference and experience it for yourself.

Meet Rudolph

The picture is terrible, but who cares. That blur in the black sweater you see is Rudolph. Tonight, I went with a group to help walk some shelter animals. When I showed up, a lot of people were walking smaller dogs. When I saw this guy, I knew that he needed some fresh air......so off we went.

I don't know his story, but from the looks of things, Rudy (as I affectionately nicknamed him this evening) has had a rough go at life so far. As I got to know him, he had a lot of the same personality traits that Irving does. A bit timid at first, but super smart and wonderfully loyal once you have his trust. Also, he loves activity. It's safe to say that we became fast friends.

Bear with me in the length of this, but Rudy taught me 2 major things tonight that I think are worth saying.

#1. Make yourself available. - When I said "I'll take Rudolph for a walk", I was told, "he doesn't always like to walk much. If he doesn't want to go, you can bring him back and walk a different one." It took some coaxing, but once he realized that I was there to help him and wasn't going to let anything bad happen to him, he was the best walking and running dog you've seen. We walked a little over two miles together. Sniffing things along the way. Happy as a clam. You see, sometimes people or animals need help, but either don't know how to ask or aren't sure who they can trust. Make it known that you are available to help. Make it known that there is good out there. Then prove it.

#2. Patience. Rudy and I didn't make it 20' from the door before he needed to stop for a #2 bathroom break. No big deal...everybody poops, right? 30' later...we have to stop and do the same thing again. 50' after that...the intestines were already empty, but we've all been there with that "there is nothing there, but the works is trying to shove stuff out anyways", right? 50' again.....75'.....30'......100'...... each time, I could see that Rudy wanted to walk......but couldn't for sometimes 2-3 minutes. He'd look up at me in between "pushes" with a look of "I'm sorry man. If you want to go back, that's fine I guess". Each time, I waited. All he needed was "it's ok. I'm doing this for you, not me. Take your time and do what you need to do". Between that and some petting, he started to relax. The stomach seemed to settle down. My patience paid off. Happy dog. Happy walker. Helping isn't always about what's convenient for you. In this case, Rudy just needed me to be patient with him and help him as he needed.....not as I had initially thought he needed.

By the end of the hour long walk, whenever we stopped walking for a moment to chat or for a crosswalk, Rudy would stop right by my side and lean on my leg a little. He was smiling at the end of the walk and when the walk was over, he was ok with going back to his temporary home.

I really, really hope that Rudy can find a permanent, loving home. He's a wonderful dog. I checked with Irving and he is willing to share me for a few hours a week with his shelter brothers and sisters. So when I go back, if Rudy is still there, I know who I'm going walking with. I wonder what other new tricks he could teach this old dog....

Best of intentions

So at the suggestion of a few close friends, it’s time for me to start a blog.   I have always had the “gift of gab” and I have been told that I’m a wonderful storyteller.   After all, I’ve got some great stories!   Unfortunately, most of them were just entertaining stories with no real substance to them.   Recently, I’ve been doing some things that have made for some good stories with the added substance of having some great life lessons in them.   These are worth writing about.

There is a universal subject out there that everyone understands.   Gratitude.   We’ve all experienced it.   Someone has helped us with something in life that has meant a lot to us.   Ironically, it’s usually the smallest gestures that we are the most grateful for.   Isn’t it funny how that works?

So what does gratitude have to do with the title of this blog, “Learning by Helping”?   It may be different than you think.   Simply stated, I’ve found that what looks on the surface to be me helping someone, typically turns out to be me learning something incredible.   I have to look for it sometimes, but it’s there.   We all have different skills and tools.   We all have different experiences.   I’m glad I’m able to put myself out there to learn so much from others.  

This blog will be about my adventures in unintentionally learning wonderful lessons about life why intentionally trying to help someone else.   I hope that in passing these stories and lessons on will help to serve justice for the wonderful souls that showed me them.

Get involved. Get active.   Make a difference.    Never let “I want to help them all” prevent you from being all of the help to one.