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……...

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…