I have a confession to make, I used to dislike dogs… *gasp* I mean I thought they were cute and all but as far as taking care of them — no way. Growing up, my parents had lots of animals. We had almost every animal you could think of; dogs, cats, horses, chickens, cow, and the list goes on and on.
I thought it was literally impossible for me to fall in love with a dog. Little did I know, I just needed the right one. If you are in the dog world, you probably know about Labradors; they are friendly, but are very active. They contain an abundance of energy that seems to increase every day. They also have an incredible drive for retrieving and pleasing their owner. If all of this is new information to you, no sweat because I didn’t learn about Labs until I had one of my very own. Let’s take it back to last year where the beginning of my own dog story began. November 28th, 2016 is and will be forever a special day in my heart. Not only did I become the fiancé to the most incredible man, but I was given a very special gift, and his name is Douglas.
I remember thinking how adorable and calm this black Labrador was. Well, the adjective, “calm” only lasted for about an hour. Before I knew it he was chewing the furniture, waking me up in the middle of the night and using the restroom on my shoes. Douglas is the antonym of calm.
Matt, my fiancé, wanted to get Douglas in order to train him as a hunting dog. Matt has a passion for hunting, and a Lab is the perfect hunting buddy. Matt began training Douglas to hunt, and I was skeptical of all the rules that must be followed. I was not allowed to buy Douglas squeaky toys or even play fetch with him at certain times. There are even certain words we cannot say to Douglas. Initially, this little engagement gift of mine seemed more like a working dog rather than a cuddle buddy.
All of this negative thinking stopped when Christmas break rolled around when I was able to spend a lot of one on one time with Douglas. Over those two weeks, I actually taught Douglas how to fetch. I am really not sure who was more excited… me or Douglas. Somehow, something as small as playing a game of fetch laid the foundation for such a special bond. I started to realize that all the time and energy Matt spent training Douglas was well worth it. Douglas may be a fur ball of energy, but he follows commands very well. This opened my eyes to just how amazing Douglas can be with the proper training.
I never realized a true bond can be formed with a dog. I find myself constantly think about him, praying for him, and making plans around him. I hate when I’m getting ready to leave and his whole demeanor changes. It’s like he knows I am about to leave. Now, I don’t think of him as a pet or even a dog, but a member of the family. There is no better feeling in the world than coming home to slobbery kisses and a wagging tail.
