I get up early every morning, 5 a.m. give or take ten minutes. I want to get up, feed the pups and drink my coffee. In exactly that order. The boys go back to sleep and I leisurely drink my coffee, check my email, and slowly wake up as the caffeine courses through my body.
Annoying me before caffeine lift off is a baddddd idea. As I peruse my email I am greeted with a comment from yesterdays post and it states:
Dog training demands tantamount of patience as it is time-consuming. Proper socialization with the right amount of attention can help resolve dog problems. Oh really? Hmmmmm... Who'd have guessed? So I click on the profile to see who is giving me such an astute bit of advice to find there is no profile available. Of course not. I then click on the link, even knowing better, to find a Dog Services Directory. I am officially annoyed.
I knew when I started this blog that I would eventually receive a bit of spam, a snarky comment or two, maybe even the occasional troll. It is part and parcel for the medium. Yet I was not expecting to feel so chaffed about it. I highly doubt they took the time to read the post, although they did take the time to type in my word verification. Which for some odd reason amuses me. Putting the spam aside, it just seems far too easy these days to swoop in, read a few paragraphs and presume you know something about the individual and their life. In my case, my dogs.
I provide a very tongue in cheek look into the lives of my dogs. Very often at their expense. Just a bit of fun in an otherwise weary world. Are they bad dogs, as I often allude to? Absolutely not. Are they perfectly trained? No, but are yours? If you are nodding yes, behind your screen, sipping your Dr Pepper and eating Cheetos, I don't believe you. =0) Dogs, like people, are subject to whims and even the best trained dogs ponder the odds of snatching the Sunday roast off the counter before getting caught. I just do not take any of it very seriously, because I don't have to.
The comment, which I am sure was left on many dog blogs, implies my dogs problems come from lack of training, lack of a doggy social life, and lack of attention. Heck, lets throw in lack of exercise, because everyone else does. What the rogue commenter doesn't know is, Taren left he house a bit after 4 this morning, but not before sitting for his running harness and collar to be put on. You know, like a good boy. He ran 5 miles in a controlled manner, getting in far more exercise than the average human. He came home ravenous, but still sat on command, waiting for me to release him to eat. He was drooling, but he sat as commanded and waited. He was a very good boy. He then followed us upstairs to hang out with his family and rest. He will be with me the entire day. So much for that no attention theory.
My point is, dogs get away with exactly what you let them get away with. For some of us the definition of good behavior and training differ. Much like for children. I never let my kids throw themselves on the floor and scream like a banshee in the middle of a store, but many do. To each their own. I don't care that Caelan filches my spoons when I cook and runs to the backyard. I have more. It's not the good silverware. It's all fun and games. If I do not want to play along I tell him no, or I put up the baby gate. It really is that simple. More times than not, I chase him down. Which is exactly what he wants and I pet him and lovingly tell him he's a bad boy.
Then the next day, I share the story. Not because he is really bad, or needs training, or I am looking for advise. If I wanted advice I would ask. I share because I am a dog lover, and I love the crazy antics of mans best friend, and I think you do too. Spam and ugly comments on blogs takes away from the joy of the sharing. Polite and respectful dissent is always welcome. You just might want to wait until I've had my coffee though.
xoxoxoxo Me and the boys
As always, textures compliments of the ever generous and talented Jerry Jones
Copyright Grey Dog Photography 2010, All Rights Reserved
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