The Little Things

A Guest Article

By Allie

Young and full of energy is what Dad keeps saying.  That, and how it’s been 15 years since he’s trained a puppy.  Little does he remember that he ain’t training me…I’m training him. 

First things first.  I’m Allie!!  I’m coming on 6 months old and I’m proud to say that I am a full-blood BC.  I haven’t met Uncle-B or Aunt-D yet, but my mom and dad think they’re pretty cool and told me that my kin folks have this funsy little website devoted to “our kind”.  Oh, and by the way, I’m a liver colored BC instead of black.

Back to the point…Dad thinks that during our training (which is all of the time – we don’t have sessions), he has to ‘splain things to me; things like what I should be doing or more of what I shouldn’t be doing.  That last part is really important when it comes to my roommate……Mom’s kitty.  She runs when I chase her.  I think it’s fun but Mom thinks I want to eat her.  Silly mom!

Anyway, Dad does a lot of talking to me.  I’m trying hard to understand and I’m getting pretty good at knowing what he’s telling me.  Every time I tilt my head to one side or the other, he just laughs.  Either way, he seems to verbalize what he’s thinking so I have to learn what he wants and still pick up on his babble.

In all his talking, one thing keeps coming to mind….”the little things”.  Dad says that all of the time we spend together really makes him think about what’s important in life and he calls it the little things.  Remember that training thing again?  Who’s training who now!  Well, Dad says that watching me really makes him think about the little things that we all take for granted.  Remember, I’m only 6 months old, so I have a lot of new experience.  I was born in the heat of summer.  I’d never seen rain, heard thunder or a gun shot.  I’ve never experienced fall, the leaves falling then moving all by themselves when the wind blows.  Dang, that’s a lot of things to chase.  Dad says these are the little things.

He’s also constantly quoting some old western movie with Gus and Call and keeps saying that it reminds him of when Gus was talking to Lori about going to San Francisco.  He tells her that she needs to enjoy the finer things in life; like a good book, a glass of buttermilk, or a poke from a feisty gentleman[i].  I still don’t quite understand that last one, but whatever….

Back to the little things…  I know Dad does, and I hear that Uncle B does too – they always seem to find a way to turn the most un-thought-provoking things into a lesson or silver lining.  I guess this is the same thing.  Dad says that humans get caught up on the routines of daily life and can sometimes forget what’s important.  People get up, go to work, come home and do the same thing again the next day without ever noticing the world around them.  How many of you find that you have that same ‘ol routine without even thinking about everything around you and the “little things”?

For Dad, he says that spending time with me makes him really slow down and think about all of the “firsts” that I get to experience; things that he takes for granted.  Like…

• Chasing love bugs in the fall (Dad says he hates those damn things and they really screw up your windshield)!

• The smell of rain and the sound as it falls from the sky and hits the trees!

• Chasing fallen leaves as the wind blows them across the yard!

• Exploring….. That Is All! 

• Dog kisses (Mom says they should have named me SnifferLicker because that’s all that I do – sniff or lick)!

• The simplicity of “dog toys”.  Dad and Mom have bought me all kinds of toys to play with and my favorite is an empty water bottle and an old towel!

• Priorities….  Dad says he’s never seen a puppy that will wait to eat until the humans are in the same room and settled down.  For me, I can eat while they’re at work or when they sleep.  I don’t want to miss a single thing!

• Passion….  There’s a big ‘ol world out there.  When we go for a ride, I want the whole back seat to myself so I can run from side to side.  I don’t want to miss anything outside so I have to have access to both windows.

Well, if you’ve made it this far, maybe you’ve paused for a second or so and thought about the things in your life.  What are your “little things” that make your life what it is.  What do you overlook every day that are truly the simple joys in life.  Dad says that spending time with me has really made him think more about them.  Maybe he’s just getting old and reminiscent. 

Oh well.  I’ll close in the words of Uncle-B, smile at someone, pat a dog, hug your spouse, help a neighbor, help a stranger, get involved in something worthwhile, but remember, EVERY DAY, you need to share a laugh with a friend.  And don’t forget the “Little Things”.