|
|
|
JONAH WAS, IN MANY WAYS, MY
TEACHER...
Jonah was the dog that started it all for
me: a lightening-fast Mensa candidate from the pound, Jonah came to me a
little black shoebox with tipped ears. Together we learned many lessons
in life, including the importance of crate training, thinking outside
the box, and laughter. He also forced me to educate myself on animal
behavior, leading to my current profession as a dog trainer, groomer,
and small business owner. That's a lot of influence from a 45 pound dog!
 After
watching a 1998 agility demonstration, Jonah and I embarked on the long
and bumpy road of agility training. It was there that I came to the
realization that, 1) my dog was smarter than me, 2) I am incapable of
running a straight line, and 3) I needed to lose weight for any chance
in heck of keeping up! Agility is, indeed, a humbling sport.
At 13, Jonah is retired from competition,
but his eyes brighten when he hears that teeter totter hit the ground.
Occassionally, I take him out for some low jumps, a chute and a low
A-frame. At full speed, he can go about a half run before getting
winded. (Oh, wait a minute.....that was me!)
Jonah passed away from a life-long
addiction to cotton socks. He was 15 years old and had lived a good, fun
life. In fact, I'd say he didn't become an adult until he was almost 8
years old. Jonah loved everyone, except the mailman, whom he thought was
the devil incarnate despite an excellent record of mail delivery.
Apparently, Jonah held him to a different standard! JONAH
TALES
 | Once, en route to an evening
agility class, Jonah ate an entire can of International House Flavored
Coffee (one of the mocha flavors, if I remember correctly). Straight
sugar and caffeine--you know the type. Well, class was in a covered
but wall-less riding ring, lit under the roof, but pitch black outside.
I put Jonah on the line and released him over the first jump. ZOOM!
Over the jump he went, a streak, right out of the ring and into the
darkness! A moment later, ZOOM! back he came from another direction,
and back out of the ring! Jonah ran about a hundred miles that night.
A hundred miles at lightening speed, and one jump. |
| Jonah's life is full of
purposeful consistencies. He eats in a separate room from the other
dogs, because he is a food addict and cannot resist the temptation
of another's bowl. His spot on the bed is at the foot, on the left,
because I roll to the right and he doesn't like being kicked. But
during the day, if he isn't lying in his sunspot, he can be found on
the enormous upholstered ottoman in the living room. You may guess
that this is to make him taller than the other dogs. Or maybe
because it's padding is "just right". But the truth is, it makes him
too high for the puppies to try to nurse off of him. (How
humiliating!) |
|
Jonah wasn't only a great agility teacher
for me alone. Occasionally, I'd loan him out to an overly cocky
studen, or perhaps someone ready to experience the next level. ('Wanna
run Jonah?' I'd say innocently!) A moment later, the student would
be running her proverbial *ss off. That Jonah, he's like the wind,
moving off voice commands, subtle movements, watching where you're
watching. Get those signals out early or he'll give you
what for! Wow, what a run! |
| Sometimes I think that Jonah
was born in the wrong state. The Willamette Valley in Oregon is
technically a rain forest (learn something new every day, eh?).
The sad truth is, Jonah cannot stand water touching his body. If
there's a puddle, he'll walk around it. If there's rain, he can
"hold it" for a week strait. If the shower is running, he's sure
to be at the far side of the house. And you've never seen such
misery in his eyes when it's time for his own bath down at the
dog wash. The crazy thing is, he swims like a fish. |
|
|
