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| October 1983 |
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV)
Thirty-three years ago, husband gave me a red Doberman puppy for Valentine’s Day. Not that I wanted a puppy, but he wanted one and when I said I was afraid of Dobermans, suggested I train him. That was his mistake. The dog, which I named Louis after the man who is credited with creating Dobermans, became MY dog. He was the first dog I had that was totally mine. In the next seven years, we worked our way through the obedience trials ranks, finally ending up in the highest level you could work, Utility, which includes scent work, signals and jumps. Before we could complete that level, Louis got cancer and died within two weeks. I was brokenhearted. Although I showed dogs in obedience again for a while, kids, church work and career interrupted my focus. I never developed the bond that I had with Louis with any of our other dogs. Until now. Until Cory. I am at a stage in life where I can once again go to dog school on a weekly basis and find some time almost every day to do a little training. Cory is MY dog, following me from room to room, looking for me when she can’t find me and wanting to please me however she can. I have been enjoying our time training together and after showing her in a match last month, got overexcited about the possibilities for showing her. I entered her in six dog shows on two different levels, twelve attempts at showing in all, in just three weekends. Yesterday was the first show. Upon entering the buildings, I quickly realized that obedience trials have changed a great deal in the last thirty years. It is a more relaxed environment with exhibitors dressing in shorts and T-shirts, training their dogs outside the ring and arguing with the judge if they feel the rules are not being followed. Still, I struggled with thinking I’d gone back in time and expecting Cory to act like Louis did. I had to keep reminding myself that she is only eighteen months old and at the beginner level. On the first day, everything that could go wrong, did. She disqualified in both classes and it was mostly my fault. I was nervous, so she got nervous and did not sit or stay. Today, though her heeling was still sloppy, I was calmer and she did everything I asked her to do and got qualifying scores (at least 170 out of 200 points). Hopefully in at least two of the next four shows she will qualify in both classes and earn two titles, Beginner Novice and Novice. Our experience together has strengthened our bond even more. She is learning that she can trust me, and I her. That takes time. Just like our relationship with God takes time, if we invest that time in walking with Him, even when times are tough we learn that He can be trusted. And that makes life even sweeter.
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