A Little Kindness

Dogs are honest, transparent, loyal and trusting.  Their love may be based on my ability to provide them with the things they need to survive - but in return they provide me with what I need - unconditional acceptance and love.  It is a mutually beneficial relationship.

I am surprised at how cruel people can be to each other.  It blindsides me because I do not expect it.  I do not operate that way, thus I naively assume others do not either.

I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.  - Maya Angelou

Yesterday I took my kids to see the movie 'War Horse'.  We were unable to enjoy the movie to its fullest extent because of an extremely drunk elderly woman who stumbled up the stairs and sat on the steps at our feet, mumbling, and rocking.   Only one seat was available next to us and for some reason, I offered it to her.

Really, I had two choices - choose contempt or compassion.  Contempt:  Make a scene, get security and have them remove her - sour our attitudes & maybe the movie for the people around us.  Or treat this woman like someone who deserved my compassion.  What harm would it do for me to be kind?  For whatever reason G_d placed her next to me. 

What if this woman was my child?  Or my friend?  How would I want them to be treated?  What if it were me? 

It very well could be any one of us.  It is so easy to turn up our nose and think we will never be in those same circumstances.   You don't know that.  If you had been born into a fractured family, had a different set of genes, life experiences, pain, despair, abandonment, it could be any one of us.

Our prime purpose in this life is to help others. And if you can't help them, at least don't hurt them.  - Dalai Lama

Most of the movie she held my hand, stroked my arm, laid her head on my shoulder, giggled with the movie, cheered for the horse and cried.  Parts of me wanted to pull away.  Many times I wanted to push her off of me...but I thought of my son.  My strange son with schizophrenia.  I pray he encounters people in his life who react with kindness instead of contempt. 

Being unwanted, unloved, uncared for, forgotten by everybody, I think that is a much greater hunger, a much greater poverty than the person who has nothing to eat. ~ Mother Teresa

Who is a better person? A homeless young woman walking the streets selling the only thing she has left?  Or successful pediatric oncologist? Who is more beloved in the eyes of our Heavenly Father? 

Is that for you to answer? 

Often we meet people in the middle of their life story.  We do not know the challenges a person may have faced.  What happened at the beginning of their story?   When you met the person you simply opened a book up in the middle - never bothering to go back and find out how they arrived at that chapter.

We judge too quickly. 

Who says your blood is redder than his? (Talmud - Sanhedrin 74a)

People who may seem to be at the lowest part of their life, may have in fact worked for years to overcome circumstances, abuse, hardship, tragedy to even reach the point they are at now. 


I have tried to teach my children to not judge someone "unless you have walked a mile in his shoes".  Since we can never be in exactly the same set of shoes, or know the summation of their life experiences, judging someone is not an effective means of coping.

Judging needs to be replaced with compassion & acceptance. 

Instead of saying "How dare you" why not replace it with "How did you get here?" and then listen with an open heart, compassion and love.

When you judge another, you do not define them, you define yourself.  - Wayne Dyer

Happy Holidays & Mr. Chewy Contest Winner

Listen, I have important news to share!

Are you listening?

This big old fat dude is coming to my house tonight and he is bringing me all sorts of yummy things. 

I am all kinds of excited! 

I had to promise Camera Face I wouldn't bite him.  

I promise to be good. 

 

I hope the fat dude comes to visit you too! 

And now for our Mr Chewy gift certificate winner!  I picked it out with a little help from Camera Face.  She wrote all the names on paper, then tossed them in the air above my head.  I sniffed some, but the winner is the one I deliberately touched when Camera  Face told me to pick one.

See...

Congratulations PGrant, please email me at bcxfour@yahoo.com to claim your $50.00 gift certificate from Mr. Chewy.  

We wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy Chanukah. 

From our family to yours we send warm wishes for a happy holiday surrounded by the love our families and animals bring to us each and every day. 

Sheep a Shepherd Makes

It all started for the dogs.  I bought sheep for my dogs to work with the focus being on my dogs and doing better at trials.  Emphasis on growing and learning - with the objective to be a better handler.

Be it a subtle change in direction, perhaps even a shift of priorities, the last six months things have evolved.

The sheep are not simply tools to train my dogs with, they are an investment. Living breathing creatures that can pay their keep and if I do this right maybe even bring in a profit, at the very least they can pay for themselves.

I want them healthy and content.

When I work my dog I  understand the absolute importance to keeping my sheep calm and moving them in a 'workman like manner', especially now that they are all pregnant.  I don't want them running all over the field & slipping lambs.  The pace needs to be consistent, and stress free as possible. 

It is coming together now.  I fully grasp why it is essential I have a dog that can walk straight into the sheep and hold her own, especially at feeding time.  I have been trampled a few times and it stopped being fun - she needs to be able to push them down the alley and out into the pasture so I am able to get their feed ready without being run over.

The dog's flanks need to be wide, square and respectful so as to not cause undo stress or cause the sheep to suddenly startle - bolt running into fences or doing other stupid sheepy things.

I need my dog to be able to drive, hold sheep off of me, separate the sheep and shove them into pens and down alleys.  A dog that stay back as I gate sort, yet come up and push when I need it.

I need a dog that can reliably hold the sheep into a small area, such as an open stall, so I can grab one and treat it for a wound, maybe give it an injection - or like today untangle a huge black berry vine from its fleece without shredding my fingers.  If my dog won't listen to me or pushes the sheep too much they will bolt and I will get hurt.

The emphasis is off training for a trial, now it is on helping me take care of the sheep.  In the long run that is what the trial is about - how well the dog performs practical work.

Each hour I spend fiddle farting around with the sheep and my dog are peaceful and fulfilling.   I love my sheep, immensely enjoy taking care of them.  I love the relationship that is solidifying with Brynn as we do the chores every day.

Many afternoon's I will just stand and watch them eat.  Just being with them I can feel my blood pressure lowering, becoming part of a whole, absorbing the peace & purpose of mother nature.

I enjoy their quirky personalities.  They may be part of a flock, but each one is an individual and have distinct behaviors that separate them from the others.  They are silly, and I believe they have a sense of humor.

Why are you on the ground?

I did this backward.  Got the border collie, then the land & the sheep and now I have become a shepherd.  Funny how things come in full circle.

I have been assimilated, happily part of the Ovine Caretaker Collective.

(All of the above sheep (not dog) photos were shot with my new iPhone 4S.  Not a bad little camera on that thing.  I have been having a blast playing with lighting, back lighting and lens flares.  The photos were also processed on my phone with the  camera+ app.   I still can't believe what that tiny little phone can do - advances in technology blow me away when I think about it.  And yes, I took a picture of the sheep while I sat on the ground after falling down...yet again.  They were a wee bit amused.)

Ann Wants to Know

Ann over at Suntrip Samoyeds & 2 Border Collies asked some questions on her blog.  Her questions are for handlers who trial, who work home flocks, who work commercial flocks.

Ann wants to know:


What is your perfect dog?

• Do you like a dog that is really on the muscle?

I think I am with the crowd here when I say I HATE THAT EXPRESSION.  If I were to say Brynn was "on the muscle" to me it means she is in charge and not listening to a damn thing I say, scream, blow, spit, flail or sputter.  Not unlike my teenage son.  

• Do you like a dog that needs a steady stream of whistles?

I have no idea.  The only experience I have with a dog on whistles is Brynn.  She listens to only half of the whistles I blow, mostly because she is "on the muscle' and flipping me the proverbial middle claw.  

• Are you a maximal or minimal whistler?

Maximal dysfunctional. Minimally understood.  

• Do you like a natural dog that feels the sheep and just needs a little direction here and there?

That would be my dream.  Actually Brynn has fantastic feel and the older she gets, and more experience we have together the better it is getting.  I just hope one day I will stop undermining her feel.  

• Do you like a dog that prefers certain type of sheep?

Nope, I want my dog to be able to rate her sheep regardless of type and manage them adequately. - which is why I am so thankful to have a wide variety of sheep to work.  We have sheep ranging from very light to down right cantankerous, my dogs should be able to handle them all.  I enjoy mixing them up and creating different combinations which effects the flight zone/sheep bubble.  It makes the dogs think and helps me figure things out too.   

• Do you like a dog that wants to partner up and be a really good team player?

Brynn partners up with me all the time, it is me that drops the ball in that relationship.  Every time I step through the gate with Brynn she is partnering with me - I project my emotions, on any given day onto her and it all goes to hell.  She is consistent, I am the weak link. 

• Do you like a dog that really knows what s/he wants and you, as a handler really has to manage?

I think that type of dog would overwhelm me at this stage in learning.  Unfortunately that describes Beth pretty well.  She wants what she wants...and if I want something contrary to her desires, she quits, or just bites the shit out of the sheep, runs them into fences then hides under the car.  

• Do you want push?

Yep, plenty.  I would rather have push that I can pull back, than not have enough when it is required.  Brynn has push, Beth has none.  If I have Beth move the sheep out of the night pasture she does not have the strength required to keep moving them down the alley when they decide to turn around and go back the other way...unfortunately I get trampled, or my feet tangled in the electric fence which results in screaming, swearing and Beth once again hiding under the car.  

• Do you want a good listener?

I have always wanted a good listener.  But my husband is a typical man, born deaf to anything uttered by a female.  My children have congenital maternal listening defects.  Ideally at least my dog should listen to me, or there is no purpose in living.

• Do you want try? (Not tri.)

Brynn is all try.  Beth is try when she feels like it, then hides under the car.  Try is much better than no try. 

• Do you like a dog who gets the job done, no matter the sheep, but it’s a big job to get that dog listening?

I would prefer that type of dog over one who is a petulant brat that hides under the car when you so much as say her name loudly.  

• Do you want it all?

I only want to be able to fit into my skinny jeans one day.  That is my dream.  

• How does your style as a handler select the style of dog you like? 

I dont know yet.  My handling is dominated by advanced schizophrenic bi-postal directional disorder.   The only real experience I have is with Brynn, Beth and Bonnie (who was not destined to work anything other than the food bowl).  Bea is just beginning.  Bea is full of try, soft dog who wants nothing more than to please, a correction will go far with her - as opposed to Brynn who will take a correction, think about it then decide if she needed to listen to me or not.  Beth, well lets just say I am not happy with Beth right now - she had a reason to hide under the car and I have the bruises & residual electrical burns to show for it.  

Giveaway: Merry Christmas from Mr. Chewy

A couple of weeks ago Mr. Chewy contacted me with an excellent proposition, $50.00 order credit just to try them out. 

I ordered a box full of grain-free treats & other yummy stuff.

The website is easy to navigate, the service was prompt, simple and delivery was fast. Shipping is free on any order over $49.00.  They have a broad selection of pet food, treats and toys to choose from. 

Check out Mr. Chewy's available Brands

While I feed raw food to the dogs at home, I will use kibble when we travel.  Mr Chewy offers our favorite brand of dog kibble Acana at competitive prices & with no shipping cost it is the same as going to our local store - without having to lug home the big heavy boxes. 

An added bonus - I will be using Mr. Chewy to deliver dog food to Bea while she is in Idaho at training, if needed.  Consider it for the holidays, especially if you travel with your pet by air. Order ahead and have the dog food waiting for you at your destination rather than dragging it with you on your trip. 

Just in time for Christmas I would like to give away (courtesy of Mr. Chewy) another $50.00 gift certificate for use on the Mr. Chewy website.

How to Enter:  Visit Mr. Chewy's site.  Pick out what you would like to order, then come back and post a comment telling me what you would like to buy.   Ranger will randomly select the winner on Christmas Eve. 

Good Luck!