How adaptable are you really?

Went for a walk up the street to get a paper and took the dogs with me. Of course they had to stop along the way to “Cock their leg.” As they did so, my mind went back to another dog and another time, and even another country. Here, it appears both our current dogs are ambidextrous when it comes to lifting their hind legs, when they need to go. But over there, our Doyle boy, obviously wasn’t.
I say obviously wasn’t, because when I, ah… umm…. Accidently ran over him one day when out for a run beside the vehicle and bruised his leg bad enough that he couldn’t support his weight on it for quite some time, he had trouble when he wanted to Cock his leg! For it seems he was either unable or unwilling to use his left rear leg instead of his normal right.
However not to be undone, he soon worked out a solution: He simply stood on his two front legs with his rear in the air and then using his nose to steady himself, was soon able to relieve himself of his dilemma.
All of this made me think how much easier, and safer it would have been if he had of just switched legs, but he seemed unable to do that and so found a much more difficult and even dangerous way to do so! (Whilst learning to stand like this, I saw him topple over completely backwards in the trying, a couple of times!)
All this made me ponder and wonder how often we do the same thing when changes are forced upon us? That is we refuse, for whatever reason, to do the logical thing and instead choose a more difficult and often more dangerous option, just because we can or because we refuse to conform to the obvious and safer option.
So as we close now, are you really adaptable enough to make the necessary changes when necessary? Or do you still, even then, refuse to conform to the better, easier, safer way? Again over to you now.

Who will give in first?

The first independent item that I ever wrote that received a lot of positive reaction among my family, (as opposed to my letters to them) and which was the inspiration for both these blogs and this Blog site*, was about Our First Born’s Dog, George and his persistence at getting to the other side of any obstacle put in his way to stop him! And there have been as least one more since then, and this is another, or even two more.
When we moved into this place, there was a pool but no pool fence, so we had to put one in which effectively cut the backyard in two and for a while that caused no problems; until George decided, for some reason still only known to him, that he wanted unimpeded access to the other side. Access that he not only achieved but the source of which, eluded me in discovering for some time. Eventually we discovered that although he looked too big to Squeeze through the bars, he not only could but did. And apart from putting netting all along it, which I don’t want to do, there is little to stop him. And as he can’t get into too much harm there, I’m not bothering. (No He won’t go near the water! The other dog did and had to be fished out once, but as he doesn’t also get through, it is not a real danger.)
Under our house, is a small dug out and concreted section that was made into a walk-in storage and work shop area, while the rest slopes away to about 18 inches at the lowest point.
At first the dogs used to sleep under the whole under- house area, but as most of this is dirt or sand, and as they both have woolly hair/fur, they got a lot of dry dirt and soil on them; which they later transferred to the carpet inside the house. So another scheme for their night sleeping arrangements had to be made. At first that was into the Garage, which worked fine; til we had a great storm one night and the garage, being at the bottom of a concrete drive, ended up with 3 or 4“ of water in it and one dog getting sick from the related chill!
So back under the house they went, but supposedly confined to the concrete half with a temporary 7 or 8 metre long barrier of whatever material was on hand that I could find, including some pool fence, Garden trellis, Old screen door, Tarps, a fold up Table and a couple of old trestle tables, a bit of plaster board, etc., whatever.
Well, nothing really worked. He got through the pool fence; He climbed up and over the trellis. He clawed through the plaster board twice: Once when it was the only thing stopping him so he chewed his way through under the bottom. Then when I put a piece of wood about 2 foot high in front of the plaster board, he simply stood on his hind legs and chewed his way through the plaster board above where the wooden board stopped protecting it!
Anyway, for the last few nights I have won the battle there, but that hasn’t stopped old George still trying. As I may soon be losing the trestle tables, and unprepared to go to the expense of a more solid and permanent barrier, as we will not be remaining here for ever, I still may end up giving in to Him! Or they will end up back in the Garage again, as we have largely resolved the Flooding problem: we Hope!?!?.
As seen above often the end result of our giving in is not lack of will, but lack of real impedes to spend the time and or money required to win. What about you today? Are you like George and prepared to never give up, no matter what the obstacle, and keep going? Failing in one spot yes, but then moving along and finding a weakness elsewhere? Or like me, are you only prepared to go as far as finances and potential danger warrants?
As hinted above, had it been the other dog, getting through the pool fence, with his love for water, we would have long ago had some form of additional protection for the fence. Likewise, if George was getting out onto the road, again we would do what it takes, not to just keep him in, but to keep him from danger.
So in closing; is that obstacle that you are currently facing, really worth the effort it takes to fight it? If so, keep fighting on and do whatever it takes to win. But if it is not worth the effort now, give up now and channel your money time and effort into to a more beneficial and winnable fight? Over to you now.
*But not posted on blog site till January 2007.

New breeds of dogs?

On July first 2010, I took this off the Web under the heading of; “Master the 3 new “official” dog breeds: What Cane Corso means.”
It then went on to say: “Today the AKC (American Kennel Club), the main organization for dog breeders in the United States, recognized three new dog breeds: the Icelandic Sheepdog, the Leonberger, and the Cane Corso. This means that breeders of these three types of canine gain access to the reputation, licensing and support of the powerful AKC. For us it’s an opportunity to explore the evocative words associated with each unusual example of man’s best friend.
The Icelandic sheepdog travelled with the Vikings and is a member of the Spitz family of canines, which means Chow Chows and Pomeranians are relatives.
A Leonberger is a massive dog (up to 170 pounds) with a thick coat and a sweet disposition. They are named after the German city of Leonberg and were supposedly bred to look like the lions on the town crest. Originally, the breed was supposedly a cross between a Newfoundland and a St. Bernard.
The rarest of the three new breeds is the Cane Corso, an Italian type of mastiff lacking the comical folds of skin the Neopolitan Mastiff (from Naples) carries around. Cane is Italian for dog, and Corso relates to the Latin cohors, “guardian.” Cane Corsos were so rare that they faced extinction until the breed was revived by enthusiasts in 1980s.”
In reply to that someone else replied: “…The Cane Corso and Leonberg aren’t new dog species, they’ve existed for quite some time now. It’s not because the Americans just recognized them that they weren’t official before. And the Cane Corso isn’t rare, you can buy it pretty much anywhere in Europe. Me and my dad thought about getting one for a while a few years back.”
All this is just another reminder that as the Bible says, there is nothing new under the sun! All it means, is that someone has taken some authority unto themselves and now, finally decided and accepted that something that has existed for a long time, now “officially exists” to them. Something that will add or do little for the dogs themselves, but probably make their owners and breeders very rich, as people now seek to be among the first to want to get these “New Breeds”! New breeds that have been literally around for years and even hundreds of years sometimes!
So what is your reaction to all things supposedly new? Do you want them, because you really like and need them, and thus will keep and care for them? Or do you just want them because they are supposedly new and rare? A status symbol maybe? And just something else to discard or throw away later when the next new and rare thing hits the market? Over to you now for your thoughts on the subject.

Who are you Talking too?

In a recent Fred Basset comic strip, Fred is asleep on the floor and his master reading the paper in his chair nearby, when a voice from afar says, “ Dinner – come and get it!” In the next panel, both Fred and his master simply look at each other with a quizzical look on their faces. And in the final panel, they both turn towards the unseen voice and say, “Me or him?”
This led me to ponder on how well we actually communicate with others? Are we as accurate in doing this as we think? In other words, do we do it clearly, so that there is no doubt as to who is being referred to? Or do we simply do it in a generic or lazy fashion like in this comic strip; so that there is confusion in everyone’s mind as to whom, if any, you are actually talking to?
Again just something to think about when communicating with others, whether dogs, cats, or people!

Who is top dog now and why?

The other Night I received a phone call about 7pm and a women’s’ frantic voice came babbling on excitedly. Unfortunately the only words I could understand in her panic, was “blood every where.” Fortunately, I was able to recognise the frantic, high-pitched voice and so I said don’t panic I am on my way over now.

As I knew it was my/our own first-born and because I know that there are two dogs there, I guessed it was one of them’s blood and not our first-born’s brother or sister's blood everywhere. So I didn’t break too many laws getting there, although I didn’t waste any time either.

Well by the time we got the 5kms there, things had settled down and the blood had stopped flowing and in fact, was mostly cleaned up by the time we got there. As I had predicted, it was the dogs’ blood, or more correctly mostly from one of them. What I hadn’t predicted and would have been wrong had I tried, was who came out on top of the argument.

From previous experience, even though there is no door between them, they are fed in different parts of the house, as Charlie tends to gulp his food down, while George leisurely takes his time to eat his. Thinking that he is top dog there, Charlie often finishes his and unless stopped or otherwise prevented, comes along and pushes George out of the way and eats his too. Yes unless prevented by a human that is, that is what Charlie does, because George always let him.

Well did, may be more the operative word here, as this time, George not only fought back but came out on top. For now at least. I suspect that there may be a few more tussles in the future, but for now at least, George is top dog, much to Charlies chagrin.

Why? Because Charlie pushed his boundaries and his weight, one time two many and George, who had been co-operative till then, had had enough and not only fought back but won and took Charlie’s position at Number one spot. Now Charlie may never get it back again or if he does, it will be over a lot more spilt blood and probably a lot of his own again too.

How true of our lives is this too? Sometimes people just assume top position, and others will, even if unwillingly allow it without any real opposition, but when the people at the top, start to abuse their power too much, people eventually fight back and often like George, come out on top. And if you wish to replace them again, it becomes, bloody, messy and usually very costly to all involved.

So the moral today is, if you are already on top of the pile, learn from Charlie’s misfortune and don’t abuse your power, or you might just loose it unexpectedly and bloodily too, like Charlie did. Fortunately his two wounds were largely superficial but he still looked a mess. You may end up that way, or worse too, if you abuse your power, so don’t please?

Safety Restraints.

The other day I needed to go to our Kids place to borrow a Drill while they were not home. So I e-mailed them all at work asking if there was anything they wanted while I was there, half expecting a certain result. Sure enough the oldest e-mailed back saying, not really, but while you are there you can take the dog(s) for a walk.

So when I got there I tried to put their harnesses on. On all other occasions, they or their mother always put the harness on and so I really didn’t know how to do it and with two frisky dogs jumping all over me I soon gave up and clipped their leads to their Collars and completely forgot about the harnesses, and so off we went, with me wondering how it would go as the little one in particular (George) is a real “Puller” and the other one just likes to keep up! (I have written earlier about “The power of Two Little Dogs.)

However after the first 100 metres or so George must have realised that his pulling so hard against the collar was restricting his breathing too much, and that it was much smarter for him not to pull so hard, and the rest of the walk was a real pleasure.

Since then, my wife and I were up there again and took them for another walk, this time with their harnesses on. Well, they (George particularly) almost pulled my arm off, and I couldn’t help but wish I had him just on the collar again because the Harness was just not correcting his pulling. (The girls use the harness for the leads and not the collars, as this is more comfortable for the dogs!)

As I thought on this, I wondered how many other safety devices there are, that we don’t use because they are not comfortable or restrict us too much. A bit like speed limits and such, we understand why they are there and all, but resent their restrictions upon us and will try and ignore them when we can.

This is just another reminder that these safety restraints are there for our ultimate Good, even if we can’t always see that at the time. So rather than ignore the safety restraints available to you, make the most of them and use them for what they were designed for: Your Safety.

Anyhow that’s my thought for today: have a safe year: Walter

Out-Going George.

On Christmas Day we had all our children around for lunch along with a Nephew. And a good time was had by all I think! After lunch and a walk around the block with our girl’s dogs the nephew went home and I sat down to collect my breath and thoughts and there was a stupid Cartoon on the TV about a Monkey called Curious George. Well today I am going to tell you about another George.

Now this George is a little dog, not a monkey, but like us you may be forgiven if you think he is “a little monkey” at times. As many small little dogs, he is very happy and out-going in nature and by nature too!

The little blighter is always looking for a way to escape his yard and wander the streets as a free spirit, which dog collectors and His Mistress, all frown upon. No matter to George. Give him half a way and he will do the rest. This is the second time we have had them (George and Charlie, the other daughter’s dog) around. The first time was when we took them to the Groomer's. Well that time, they both managed to get out but fortunately didn’t go too far.

So this time I barricaded under the gate where they got out and was sure they wouldn’t again. Well not there anyway!

So on Christmas morning, the two dogs were in the yard when suddenly our first-born decided to check on George, as she couldn’t see him. She could see Charlie but not George. Before very long she was back inside saying, “Dad, I thought you said George couldn’t get out!” Meaning he had!

Sure enough he had and after getting him back inside I found where he had pushed aside what had looked like a solid post and removed some Plastic edging about 6”(15cm) high and about 16 feet (5 metres) long, and left it on the outside.

For a while I was mystified on why he had got it outside and why it had tooth marks all along it. By my reckoning he should have been able to have gone over the top of it without having to move it, and if he had to move it, he would/should have only had to move the end near his gap, to get out.

A real mystery for a while and then suddenly the “Penny Dropped”! He didn’t do that to get out.

He did that trying to get back in! Having got out, he obviously decided it wasn’t much fun without Charlie and so tried to get back in and so, having got over the obstacle easily one way, found it difficult to get back in from the low side and so at great effort, pulled it all out to the outside, explaining how it got there and how it had tooth marks all along it. Yet he still couldn’t get back in without my daughter going out and bringing him back in.

As I thought about it I wondered how often we do a similar thing. How often do we fight against the barriers and boundaries imposed on us? How much time and effort do we put it to fight through these boundaries, only to find that the “Grass on the other side is no Greener” or Better? Then try and find our way back to the right side of the fence, only to find, like George, that despite our efforts it is not possible, with out Help.

As a Christian I believe that, that Help came in the form of Christ at Christmas time, to enable us to get back on the right side of the fence.

However, no matter what you believe, as you approach this new year will you just stop and re-evaluate where you are now and how well off you really are or aren’t, before trying to escape to something that you may later wish to escape again.

Instead of wasting all your energy and efforts trying to escape something without fully evaluating it first, try appreciating it first. Likewise try using your efforts and energies to improve where you are even more, rather than wasting your time and efforts in trying to escape, when it is not really necessary or beneficial in the long run.

What say you? Walter

Dream Dog Or Queensland Holiday?

Recently one of my regulars came up to me at work and said she will see me in two weeks as she was going on holidays. I asked if she was going anywhere.

She went on to tell me that originally she and her fiancé were going on a holiday to Queensland to celebrate his thirtieth Birthday but he then decided to spend the money on his dream dog instead.

She was actually quite acceptive to this change of plans although she was lamenting on missing out on the holiday.

Now as one whose cousin, some 30 plus years later, still reminds me that I took my then Pup (Daisy) with me on my honeymoon, I am not going to argue with the guy’s thinking am I?

I might query the need to spend so much money on a dog, but choosing a dog over a holiday is really not all that silly.

I mean we had Daisy for some 14 years, where we got great value out of her companionship, her protection and her faithfulness. Assuming that this guy gets similar value from his dog, in the long term that will be far better value than a ten or twelve day holiday even if it is in Tropical Queensland, wouldn’t you agree?

So, how about you? Do you sometimes find yourself having to make choices that at first seem totally crazy? If so, carefully way them up, especially as to longtime benefits against short term advantages. You too might be like this young lady and accept that although it might not be her first choice, she can see the long term advantages over the short term loss. What say you? Walter