Several months ago my
wife and I were having a…”discussion”.
The topic was of adding an addition to the family. My argument was that we didn’t have the time
or resources to provide a healthy upbringing.
Her argument was a counter to every excuse I had.
A couple months after
our “loud conversation” we brought home new life. And although he was cute, I was not looking
forward the upcoming responsibilities. I
would lose a sense of restfulness by having to wake up a couple of times in the
middle of night to provide his needs. I
would constantly have to watch over him to make sure he was not getting
into…“trouble”.
He was growing so
quickly and every day I wish I had put my foot down a little more firmly in
order to avoid this painstaking daily situation. There’s the feeding, potting training and
having to deal with destructive surprises every now and then. With so much newness in my life, especially
at work or things relating to my work, this was something that didn’t seem like
a priority. After, what continues to be, a huge physical investment, little did
I know I would receive a huge gradual and mental reward.
I never grew up with
dogs, but I did have a comprehension of their species and my understanding of
them was that they need lots of room to be themselves. Although I never wanted a dog, I did care
about them enough and respect them enough to know that they deserve more than
what I could provide.
So, what do I do in
order to embrace my new family role? I
research. I began to read and embraced
the philosophies of the Dog Whisperer, Cesar Millan. His teachings for a happy and healthy dog are
Exercise, Discipline and then Affection…in that order. Although, I wish I was home 24-7 and didn’t
have so many other obligations in order to properly raise the dog, I’ve tried
to fulfill these things as best as possible.
So what, exactly, have
I gained? When the Dog Whisperer visits
with people on his show, he usually has to fix people problems before he fixes
dog problems. So I thought, to myself, what do I need to “fix” about me in
order to maintain a healthy connection to my dog.
Even though I feel I
never have time for, Roscoe, I can’t ignore the fact that it’s not his fault
for misbehaviors and wild actions. So it helps me to identify weaknesses about
me that need to become strengths in order for the dog to be a happy and healthy
dog. For every weakness I identify, I
ask two other questions: 1) where do I need to work on that weakness in other
parts of my life and 2) what would it look like if the weakness became a strength?
The weaknesses I’ve identified
are patience, consistency, leadership, and at times, compassion. These are things, not only Roscoe needs from
me, but other people in my life a well.
I hope that I become more patience, more consistent, a better leader and
a compassionate individual to others as well.
Never did I think a
dog could change aspects about me. It’s
great being around an animal that can pick up on my emotions; emotions that I
can’t hide with a fake smile or sarcastic humor. It’s also great having to communicate with
something on a basic level. If I’m not
all there, he picks up on it, and instantly attacks my weaknesses. He forces me to be on my A-game, with
patience, consistency, leadership, sprinkled with compassion.
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