Jon_Are
Senior HTF Member
- Joined
- Jun 25, 2001
- Messages
- 2,036
She was the first dog I’d ever owned. Born on the very day that I started working at my present job 12 years ago, Winnie, my Norwegian Elk Hound, was destined to become a more significant part of me than I ever could have foreseen.
Having been raised in a cat family, I’d never known first hand the special bond that inevitably develops between dog and owner. The instinctive sense of trust and partnership that comes to dogs so naturally is a wonder witnessed only by those who are willing to make those sacrifices necessary to responsible dog ownership.
Winnie never once got angry. She never held a grudge, she never sought retribution, and she never withheld forgiveness. Even after being scolded or disciplined, she would lay quietly, eyeing me from a distance, awaiting the slightest movement of hand that would indicate ‘Come here’, and she would instantly bound forward with tail-wagging eagerness to receive a chin scratch or an ear rub. All was forgiven, always.
Often Winnie would rise from wherever she had been lying, walk over to me, and sit with her chin on my knee, eyebrows working overtime. This was her manner of asking for my attention. Whenever I came home, the first thing I saw upon opening the door was her furry face looking up to me. Whether I had been gone all day or just ten minutes, she greeted me as if she wanted nothing more than simply to be with me.
One recent winter morning, Winnie appeared uncomfortable and listless. Later that day, she vomited. I took her to the vet that afternoon, and x-rays revealed that her bladder was enlarged twice its normal size and was filled with stones. Surgery was necessary, so we scheduled it for the following morning. That evening, she was in too much pain to lay, so she stood virtually motionless and stared. All night long. The next morning, before leaving for work, I sat on the kitchen floor next to where she was standing. Winnie bent her head down in order to rest her chin on my leg to receive several minutes of petting. This was to be my last contact with her. As it turned out, the surgery was pointless. She was in the early stages of renal failure, and, given her age and prognosis, we determined that the kindest act would be to help her to sleep forever. All this just two days after she had seemed completely healthy.
Is it possible for a dog to teach a person lessons of life? Anyone who has ever owned one recognizes the answer to this. Character traits such as unwavering loyalty, instant forgiveness, continual and absolute respect, and the purest form of unconditional love are admirable and aspired to by the greatest of men and women. Imagine a humane society mixed-breed mutt exhibiting these attributes toward me in the flesh, day after day for twelve years, simply because I chose to take her into my home.
Jon
Having been raised in a cat family, I’d never known first hand the special bond that inevitably develops between dog and owner. The instinctive sense of trust and partnership that comes to dogs so naturally is a wonder witnessed only by those who are willing to make those sacrifices necessary to responsible dog ownership.
Winnie never once got angry. She never held a grudge, she never sought retribution, and she never withheld forgiveness. Even after being scolded or disciplined, she would lay quietly, eyeing me from a distance, awaiting the slightest movement of hand that would indicate ‘Come here’, and she would instantly bound forward with tail-wagging eagerness to receive a chin scratch or an ear rub. All was forgiven, always.
Often Winnie would rise from wherever she had been lying, walk over to me, and sit with her chin on my knee, eyebrows working overtime. This was her manner of asking for my attention. Whenever I came home, the first thing I saw upon opening the door was her furry face looking up to me. Whether I had been gone all day or just ten minutes, she greeted me as if she wanted nothing more than simply to be with me.
One recent winter morning, Winnie appeared uncomfortable and listless. Later that day, she vomited. I took her to the vet that afternoon, and x-rays revealed that her bladder was enlarged twice its normal size and was filled with stones. Surgery was necessary, so we scheduled it for the following morning. That evening, she was in too much pain to lay, so she stood virtually motionless and stared. All night long. The next morning, before leaving for work, I sat on the kitchen floor next to where she was standing. Winnie bent her head down in order to rest her chin on my leg to receive several minutes of petting. This was to be my last contact with her. As it turned out, the surgery was pointless. She was in the early stages of renal failure, and, given her age and prognosis, we determined that the kindest act would be to help her to sleep forever. All this just two days after she had seemed completely healthy.
Is it possible for a dog to teach a person lessons of life? Anyone who has ever owned one recognizes the answer to this. Character traits such as unwavering loyalty, instant forgiveness, continual and absolute respect, and the purest form of unconditional love are admirable and aspired to by the greatest of men and women. Imagine a humane society mixed-breed mutt exhibiting these attributes toward me in the flesh, day after day for twelve years, simply because I chose to take her into my home.
Jon
