The dog & the child – learnid company…

I seen this recently on a forum I visit every now and then and thought that it was worth sharing.  

“Being a veterinarian, I had been called to examine a ten-year-old Irish Wolfhound named Belker. The dog’s owners, Ron, his wife Lisa , and their little boy Shane, were all very attached to Belker, and they were hoping for a miracle.

I examined Belker and found he was dying of cancer. I told the family we couldn’t do anything for Belker, and offered to perform the euthanasia procedure for the old dog in their home.

As we made arrangements, Ron and Lisa told me they thought it would be good for six-year-old Shane to observe the procedure. They felt as though Shane might learn something from the experience.

The next day, I felt the familiar catch in my throat as Belker ‘s family surrounded him. Shane seemed so calm, petting the old dog for the last time, that I wondered if he understood what was going on. Within a few minutes, Belker slipped peacefully away.

The little boy seemed to accept Belker’s transition without any difficulty or confusion. We sat together for a while after Belker’s Death, wondering aloud about the sad fact that animal lives are shorter than human lives.
Shane, who had been listening quietly, piped up, ”I know why.”

Startled, we all turned to him. What came out of his mouth next stunned me. I’d never heard a more comforting explanation. It has changed the way I try and live.

He said,”People are born so that they can learn how to live a good life — like loving everybody all the time and being nice, right?” The Six-year-old continued,

”Well, dogs already know how to do that, so they don’t have to stay as long.”

Live simply.

Love generously.

Care deeply.

Speak kindly.

Remember, if a dog was the teacher you would learn things like:

When loved ones come home, always run to greet them.

Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joyride.

Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure Ecstasy.

Take naps.

Stretch before rising.

Run, romp, and play daily.

Thrive on attention and let people touch you.

Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.

On warm days, stop to lie on your back on the grass.

On hot days, drink lots of water and lie under a shady tree.

When you’re happy, dance around and wag your entire body.

Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.

Be loyal.

Never pretend to be something you’re not.

If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.

When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by, and nuzzle them gently.

There comes a time in life, when you walk away from all the drama and people who create it. You surround yourself with people who make you laugh, forget the bad, and focus on the good. So, love the people who treat you right. Think good thoughts for the ones who don’t. Life is too short to be anything but happy. Falling down is part of LIFE…Getting back up is LIVING…

Have a great life.”

Meet “Rinty” the Airedale & A Family Legend…

So I walk into my dad’s today and he says he’s got a treat for me and places a long lost photo on the table.  It turns out to be not only of one his childhood dogs but his favourite.  It’s was his first Airedale, the infamous “Rinty”.  It was taken in August 1963… How’s this for cool?

My dad went on to share a few stories about him.  Apparently he was an escape artist of the highest quality and would regularly disappear.  It was common for someone to waken in the house in the wee small hours to hear a thumping at the door.  When they went to open the door, Rinty who had been thumping the door with his tail bolted up the stairs and onto my dad’s bed.  He immediately curled up and by the time the person had got to the top of the stairs Rinty was pretending to be a sleep.  Legend!

Having spoken with my dad for the last few days about Airedales I can understand why he has a twinkle in his eye for the breed.  What I don’t understand is why I’ve never had one lol – a situation that I hope to rectify over the next year or two.

Gran & the Airedales

I had a funny conversation with my Dad at the weekend who in his teens owned his first two Airedales, a breed his father had introduced him to.  He’s owned many breeds since but none have matched up to the Airedale. I’ve been talking about getting a new dog for the last year or so and have been considering either an Airedale or an Irish Terrier.

I was asking him if he remembered having trouble with nipping or biting.  Of course all dogs do this as puppies but he didn’t have any particular memory of his doing this to the point that it became problematic.  What he did remember but made me giggle!

My Gran is a woman who’s can only be described as dynamite, she loved her family and would have done anything for them but suffered no fools and had no back doors in her.  If she had something to say she said it straight without filter nor thought.  Nothing got in her way and very few people ever took her on and won. She was a real Belfast woman if ever I met one, small in height, stocky in build and complete with a hell hath no furry attitude.

Dad was laughing about how if you went to touch a bone that one of his Airedale’s owned there was a distinct growl and an ice that descended whether they were chewing it or not.  Then there was a silence and a puzzled looked came over my Dad’s face… then he said “Funny they never did it with anything else and they never did it with your Gran, she could have done anything she wanted with them and they would have done anything for her”  Well we all burst out laughing at even the dogs knowing not to cross her small as she was.

Now I think about it and with all that I have read about Airedales their personalities were well matched!!