One of my goals for 2019 was to work with my dog, Copernicus (or Copper for short), on earning various levels of Trick Dog Titles. I did not know that Trick Dog Titles were a thing until recently and when I found out, I knew it was the perfect winter activity for Copper and me -- something to keep us busy and active even when it's too cold to spend much time outside. I have always enjoyed dog training and have thus far had two rescue dogs that I've trained in obedience and tricks. Obedience training is necessary to keep your dog safe and happy and to keep those around him safe and happy, as well. It' fun to watch a dog learn and progress in his manners -- though it's a lot of work! For me, the real fun starts once the basic obedience work is done and we can start working on tricks! It is amazing how smart dogs are and how much they can learn. With a little time and a lot of patience, you can teach your dog to do incredible things. It's good for them, too, as it challenges them mentally, works their brains and helps them get out some energy in different ways. You'll find that some of the "tricks" actually help boost obedience, too.

In part one of this blog series I focused mostly on the grief side, with the loss of our first dog, Happy Gilmore. While we are still sad and miss him dearly, we've also been able to experience new joys with the new dog we adopted a couple of weeks ago. Meet Copernicus -- or, Copper, for short. We adopted Copernicus from the Humane Society shortly after a visit there to get registered as volunteers. We will soon be helping with special adoption events around town. And, I'll be able to do so all the more enthusiastically now that we have our own new rescue dog!

This past Christmas was a hard one for us. We had to say goodbye to one of our best friends and companions -- our dog, Happy Gilmore. It was all the harder because it was a sudden and unexpected death. Happy was a well trained and good mannered dog. He wasn't a bolter by nature, but he was a hunter. He had a very strong hunt / chase instinct and his prey drive was the one thing we could not train out of him. You can't really train out an instinct. He had made progress, but deer were still his kryptonite. On the 22nd of December, I stood in my sun room in front of the open door doing what any other normal person would be doing -- throwing the rest of my fall gourds into my garden. Happy approached, and as I tried to shoo him back, he must have caught sight of a deer in the field because he suddenly bolted for the backyard. I grabbed for his collar, which he was not wearing, and he slipped right through my arms. I called after him, but he was deaf to the world, going full bore after that deer. That was the last time I saw him alive. By the time I put my boots on, he was already out of sight. He was so fast. I called Tom to come home from his errands and we scoured the woods and the neighborhood looking for him. I finally posted "lost dog" online on a few sites, and it wasn't long before someone cross published a post about a found dog. A dog found dead. On the side of the road. A half mile from where we live. I knew it had to be him. I called Tom sobbing and he went and found him. He had been hit by a car, and from what we could tell likely died very quickly. Tom quietly picked up our lifeless dog and brought him home. It was one of the worst moments of my life.

Halloween is just around the corner! Our dog, Happy Gilmore, has been known to dress in costume and get into the Halloween spirit, but he has one complaint about the holiday. Why does it have to be Trick OR Treat? Shouldn't it be Trick AND Treat?

I thought focusing on this verse this week would be appropriate since we are celebrating our dog Happy's third birthday. I think it's interesting how one's attitude and actions toward animals is indicative of his actions towards people -- but this proverb turns it around from the way I usually think of it. You often hear of young boys who torture animals who grow up to be violent or abusive men. The cruelty they show to animals even from a young age extends into their attitudes and actions toward people later in life. But the reverse can be seen, too. Think of someone you know who has a soft heart toward animals -- my mom and grandma have always shown extreme kindness toward animals of all types (think: ordering extra food at McDonald's to feed the sea gulls that live in a nearby parking lot; or stopping on the side of a busy road to try to capture a wounded groundhog so you can take him to the vet). And this kindness to animals also reveals their hearts towards people.  It's often in the details of one's life that we can get the bigger picture of who that person really is. And I think it's a good reminder for me to pay attention to how I handle the small and mundane things of life -- because that will likely be how I handle the big and pivotal moments, as well.