I’m the luckiest because training means knowing so very many
dogs.
Only so many dogs will live with me during my lifetime. It’s
a hard realization. Realistically, I can’t really be guardian to more than
three dogs at a time (and Los Angeles County agrees), so if I do some rough math:
3 dogs x 15 years each = maybe 6 more dogs at our house over the years? That is
very depressing. I know I have an addiction—my husband is the first to name it.
But as a trainer, I meet and work with hundreds of dogs. I’ve
volunteered time with rescues and gotten to know some pretty great dogs. I’ve been
involved with lots of dogs in classes, both those where I’m offering advice or
even just taking with my own dogs. And of course I’ve gotten to know clients’
dogs very, very well.
I get more doggie kisses than any human has a right to. The
tails that wag at me could power the electricity of a small town. I see the
good and the bad behavior, and these pups know from the moment I meet them that
I love them either way. Because dogs are pretty stinkin’ awesome.
And more often than not, so are their people. After all, if
they’re asking a trainer’s advice, they’d like the best for their dogs, too.
And Tanner, Tommy, and Dori love smelling me up when I come
home: they know more dogs, too! Indirectly.
