Well today higher powers wanted me to not work on my birthday….. strong thunderstorms and rain on and off all day today, which is normally a 6 – 9 dog training day for me. The pause from hyper drive comes at a good time.
Today, I’m 30 years old. Hard to believe! I’m young on the average scale of life and I certainly live an active youthful busy happy life. But my time involved in the dog world feels in dog years. This all started nearly 20 years ago, with my first bird dog Jessie…..wow! I look at things from interesting perspectives very often— I say to myself, 20 years— police officers can retire and start collecting pensions after 20 years. I’m proud of where I’m at today with all of my canine accomplishments, community and patrons. And not only do I have another 20 years of training in me but likely another 40 years.
My obsession has been kicked into full throttle ever since the age of 10, when Jessie came into my life. At 16 years old, is when I professionally started to work with dogs and I haven’t blinked an eye about my decision since. I have owned and do own some amazing dogs: King, Rambo, Freckles, Jessie, Jake, Reba, Hazel, Phoenix, Rogue, Maya, Lee, Quax, Slam, Xavier, Xila and Proton to date. Many more to come I hope throughout my life. I owe so much of my life’s accomplishments to my dogs— they have inspired me to learn what I have and be who I am. Without a doubt, without them in my life’s path, I would not be the man that I am today in the most positive of terms. The world through a variety of dogs’ eyes is a blessing that all people can learn from. They teach you to who you are as a person, your strengths and weaknesses.
On this rainy day as I write this post I look from my back office space in the house through the bedroom door into the kitchen and I see Proton on my feet, Quax stretched out along the bedside, Maya and Hazel on top of our Swedish Tempra-pedic bed and Rogue’s head popped out from underneath the bed, Lee lying in her crate with her head angled towards the kitchen table where Jana sits and writes her next best selling book. Xila is perched in the kitchen door way surveying her pack mates and I have no doubt that “the boys,” Slam and Xavier are under the kitchen table on top of Jana’s feet. What more could a pack leader ask for…. truly. Tranquility with a home that consists a wife, 9 dogs and 130 racing pigeons and me—nestled in the foothills of the Catskills. Life is good. Thanks to all.
