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~
Maureen: "I believe that we (all species) are unique."
I
have loved and shared my life with dogs and nature always. I used to study dog breeds in
the back of Spiegel catalogs and threaten my mother that "when I grew up, I’d
get a big dog". Well, I have: big, small, pedigreed and whatever's. I
am forever grateful for their presence in my life.
Living in a small, cramped, but
affordable apartment in Lowell, MA, my parent’s choice of dog for me was small
(Chihuahuas, Spitz or little mutts). I had a menagerie of birds, gerbils,
turtles and fish. Our family knew next to nothing about dog
behavior, aside from what one generation passed on to the next. There were
voids and misunderstandings, that even as a child, I knew were not okay.
Dogs would poo under the bed because no-one let them out, then they were
reprimanded for it! Somehow, these dogs (and me) managed to
blend in and survive the chaos, making my life more meaningful and safer.
I was given a special gift of being given time to learn with dogs!
To condense for the
reader, I know that many of you will relate
to the reality of the "imperfect" family, not that
there really are any perfect ones! All families have skeletons and
secrets, just choose to process them differently. This is colored
with
pride, beliefs and values passed from generation to generation.
Without going into detail, let’s
say that certain members of my family suffered from demons. It was a
mixture of patterns and behaviors that could create calm or conflict.
As an adult, I've learned that all families do the best they can with
the skill they have. It is how we process, use and choose to learn
from the information we are given that makes the difference. I am
fortunate. I process well and was given the gift of perception,
excellent bounce back (resilience) and dogs!
Survival
techniques were learned at an early age as it is by every species.
Early on, I learned
how to read expressions and find rocks to skip on to the other side of the stream
before the impending storm. Intuitively, who I am becoming as a person, is an
accumulation of all I
learned while growing up and what I continue to discover with wide
opened eyes and curiosity. Dogs play a huge part in this, as do my
mentors and role models, those few who find "awe" in being alive, nature
and learning ... everyday.
As a child, I found
comfort in knowing that I was never alone! I woke up grateful to
have my dog by my side. I still am to this day, only there is
several dogs by my side. I consider dogs to be my unconditional companions,
teachers, and therapists (in their own way of course). They connect me
to people and pathways that I otherwise never would have found, or at
least that is what I choose to believe.
Through thick and thin, a few panic attacks, depression,
death, divorce, transition and trauma, stuff that life presents to all
of us, dogs will continue to hold a soft place in my
heart. They create learning experiences and connections for me with some
very precious people. Being with them is where I have found my
chose friends, family, peace and, oftentimes balance into unbalance,
back to harmony again.
They say lessons
are repeated until they are learned from generation to generation.
Dogs keep teaching me to never give-up, to love many, trust few and try
to harm none! For humans, this isn't as simple!
I consider myself
grateful and privileged to be invited and accepted in the
presence of dogs and their ancestors the wolf. They inspire me to
let go and simply be present.
Suddenly, I can view the world through another specie's
perspective without judgment.
I am in awe, honored and
more content when I am
in the company of others who intuitively sense the
same intrigue with dogs, nature and something that is bigger than all of
us! Sometimes, not a word has to be
spoken between two living beings that share this with dogs. It is a
gift, an understanding between human and human, or dog and human.
As my
friend Stella (93), who passed, taught me, "it is a "knowing" that
needs no words. As Dr. Jane Goodall shares, "if I had one
wish it would be to see through their eyes (her beloved chimpanzees) if only for a moment." [Reason
for Hope by Dr. Jane Goodall]
This connection with
dogs is
giving me the opportunity to share my experiences with others, to make
even a small difference, to leave a legacy or message if you will that I
am passionate about life and learning with dogs by my side. I have
no idea why. Most times, I can't explain it. That's
the beauty of it. It just is.
For this, I
am forever grateful. For dogs, I will do whatever I can to lessen
their burden through awareness, education, relationship and well-being.
~ Gary
Ross:
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Co-Author
of Train Your Dog, Change Your Life.
-
Masters
in Engineering
-
Certified
Pet Dog Trainer (family-focused)
-
Licensed
Team Evaluator and Instructor
-
Behavioral
Coach (still learning)
-
Dog
Sport Coach (when I'm not playing hockey or travelling)
-
Maintenance Man
I
sort (?) of grew up in a middle class neighborhood one of six kids. We didn’t have a dog,
but we had several cats (less maintenance for my Mom I suppose). There were dogs
all over the neighborhood, some nice ones and some not so nice ones. While
delivering papers for 8 years, I was able to develop a ‘special’ bond
with some of them. Like I said before, there were some good dogs and some not so
good dogs. It wasn’t until I met Maureen that dogs truly became an integral
part of my life. I quickly found out what others have known for millenniums.
If you fall in love and the woman has dogs, you better learn about dogs quickly,
because they are STAYING. That said, dogs are really something else. I wouldn’t change a minute. The dogs have
shown me such grace, compassion and unconditional love, helping me through my
good times and bad. Dogs have taught me that getting bit can hurt,
especially if caught off-guard.
The dogs have also afforded me
the opportunity to meet people who I never would have met otherwise. You guys
know who you are. We’ve traveled all over the world, and you always meet
people who care about dogs. I remember walking outside the London Zoo and
asking a gentleman exercising his Terrier if he had ever watched "Dogs with
Dunbar". Needless to say he had, and he never missed a broadcast.
Dog people are really interesting (I
think there’s a book in there somewhere). Like our dogs, we come in
all shapes, sizes and colors. We don’t always agree (and some of those
disagreements are legendary), but if we’d only take the time to step back, we’d
realize that we all want the same thing … what’s best for our dogs!
Now, I have to go clean the litterbox, which I forget to do. Not
a good thing ...
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