" He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion."
There are many different types of Dog lovers out there, were as every dog out there is a human lover. Even if they have had a life of not yet understanding love back from a human, that dog will always trust again and show that love and devotion to its human. It is all in how you raise your dog, just like how you raise your children. You will get from him what you put into him.
I find it interesting how they are many types of dog owners out there. From someone who dines at the table with their little pooch to someone who relies on their great dog to stand guard of the farm. What ever you wish from your dog, your dog will deliver. It doesn't matter wither you are blessed with a dog from a pup or blessed with a second chance dog, no other animal will bring home the devotion better than a dog.
This is why even if you raise and rely on your dog to bring different duties as part of your family, we all can agree on one thing, the bond that is there between that family and that dog. I have a big family and extended family, and almost everyone in my family has dogs. They all have different kinds and view those dogs in different ways. Some are very open with the bond they share with their dogs, others are very closed off at the bond that is there, don't get me wrong its still there, they just don't let anyone in on the secret that they could love and animal as much as they do.
The point I am trying to get at is this, everyone who has taken the proper time and put it into there dog, has the same very special bond with their dog, this is because a dog always responds to you faithfully lovingly, protectively and with better devotion sometimes than even your spouse can give. Believe me I have many time were my dog has listened to me more than my husband has :)
This is were are part comes in, we are called to be our dogs whole life, their love, their leader. Even if that means difficult times with your dog. I can remember the puppy stage, how many of us give up and say there is nothing I can do to train this dog, then give in and ship them out. I know I could of given up many time, but I know what its like to have people give up on you and its not a great feeling so I stuck it out. I truly believe that is the best decision I made. Out of that I gained not a dog, but a true member of our family, believe me, meet her and you will see how a dog truly can believe they are a child and not a dog.
For anyone who know our Jazzy, they know this, she is hyper, she is in your face, and she loves to meet you at the door, wither it be to bite the glass and make you think you should not enter unless you want to die, or if you come in and find she really just wants at you to sniff, lick and meet you. But the funny thing is if you know my children you know they are hyper and in your face and love to run to the door and tell you all about their life before your boots even come off. That is just a sign how our dog thinks she is just like my kids. And lets not forget how she jumps in the car and sits in the car seat waiting for someone to buckle her in, or how she stares at the doors of the school wondering when its going to be her first day.
This part of the story is for those of you who have yet to admit the impact your dog could have on your life. I know your type you see a dog as just your dog, there to do whatever it is you have trained them to do, while believing that dog have no real hold on your life. I pity you and challenge you to understand your dog to the next level. I do this because you never know what is going to happen, It could be your last week with that dog, and you truly will not understand the hold that dog had on you until he is gone. I would rather know that I gave and got from my dog everything in the time I got to share with them.
Our Jazzy has taken a turn for the worse, and only at 5 years of age, were we sit today is not knowing if we will have to take special care of her for the remainder of her life, and lose her as part of our family by the end of the week. We have been told by her vet she is suffering from Kidney disease. It can go either way, she might be able to control it with special diet and medicine, or she might just keep going downhill until they it takes her from us. Even though it is usually found in older dogs, some dogs are just born with things like this and it takes them early on. This is why I say, enjoy your dog today, love them today, be there for them today, because they will be there for you in a heart beat.
For our family we are not focusing on what way Jazzy's fate will take her, be it a week or a few more years we have with her. This time we share with her now is how we always have, we will still walk with her, we will still play with her, we will still snuggle with her, we will still give her treats for no reason at all, and still love her until her last beat. We as a family are comfortable knowing that we have given her a life of happiness, a life were she felt she had a family to love, to protect and be a part of, even if her time is short she spent her days knowing she belongs somewhere. I know people in life who still haven't discovered this yet. But I am confident my Jazzy has.
I ask two things of my family and friends, One is to please remember to put our family in your prayers, we would give anything to have Jazzy come out of this for us to love for a few more years. Second, please take the time now with your dog, you never know when their last heart beat will beat, but you do know they will be with you till that happens, so take the time to be with them too.
