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Health & Fitness

Abby Kennels' Mia Teaches A Powerful Lesson

Abby Kennels of Chelmsford (abbykennels.com) welcomes a guest blogger, Alessandra Siraco. Follow us on Twitter @dogmankevin for more dog stories and tips.

One of my very best friends just got a puppy!  A beautiful ball of fur she named Linus.  Amidst the brightly colored puppy toys and new bag of Kibble in the hallway, we began talking about the responsibilities that come with having a new puppy.  Housetrain him.  Don’t let him eat grapes, avocados, or chocolate. Teach him not to jump when greeting people.  Keep him away from electrical cords.   Socialize him so he grows up friendly but don’t overwhelm him.    Make sure he learns to only chew what you give him.  Buy a crate so he doesn’t destroy the house, pick the right food, find a reliable veterinarian, get all his shots ….  The burdens and stresses of all the teaching and watching and protecting is exhausting. 

The last time I stayed over at my parents’ house, I let our dog Mia sleep in my bedroom for the first time.  It really was an accident.  We both fell asleep with the TV on and it was a picture perfect scene, the soft glow of the TV illuminating the room as she dozed at the foot of my bed.  Two hours later, I woke up to a damp and furry nose in my face.

“Hey Mia, you okay?”  I asked as I switched on the light.  She wagged her tail and laid back down.  I shut off the TV and the light and went back to sleep, only to be awakened in two hour increments all night long.

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When it was finally morning and I got out of bed, Mia was nowhere to be found.  She was downstairs with my parents, standing guard near the door that leads into the yard, her body on high alert between the unknown outside and them.  It was then I realized that Mia wasn’t waking me up because she needed me, she was waking me up because she wanted to make sure I didn’t need her.   

Mia left her guard post only long enough to greet me like a long lost friend!  She had no clue that I was exhausted by her nighttime vigilance.  Dogs live totally in the moment.  They waste no time worrying about past mistakes or anticipating future problems.  This moment is all that exists and they embrace it like no other moment in time.  What a powerful lesson.

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Mia is a dog like every other dog.  She loves people and chasing squirrels and earning treats.  She irrationally hates the bird that nests in the pear tree outside the kitchen and she  greets me with insane happiness every single time she sees me.    I spent a few months teaching  and protecting her when she was a puppy.  In turn, she will spend the rest of her life teaching and protecting me. 

 

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