Pardon Me, You’re Stepping On My Paws!

Sometimes, I forget these TV couch potatoes of mine were actually bred for working. But, when they decide I’m the only thing around here that even remotely resembles a sheep, they remind me that they really are working dogs by going directly to work. It happens every day! When I try to get from one room to another, all three of my Shetland sheepdogs, Ginger, Carrie and Bonnie Lass, sit up, perk their ears and decide to herd me along the way.

So here’s the thing. While they’re busy herding, I have to keep my gait at a pace that does not overtake them. You see, by walking too fast I am liable to step on one of the twelve paws underfoot. I hate to tell you, but that has happened a time or two and I think I hurt worse than the wounded paw does.

These wagging tailed pooches are the light of my days. Now that the children are all grown and off doing their own things, having their own particular adventures, I am still feeling like the mom who needs to continue taking care of her kids. So, the pet-pals become my kids and I get to fulfill the mom aspect of my life.

Still, you’ve got to ask yourself what you are doing, when on a trip to the dining room from the living room, you hear yourself say, “Pardon me, but I have to get around that table.” And you suddenly realize you are talking to a dog!

Yes, that happened to me yesterday. I actually asked the dogs for permission to move around my own home. But, when you think of it, it’s the right thing to do. That good old lesson learned in Kindergarten—that politeness and kindness spring from the same seed—wasn’t a lesson meant just for kids.

Kindness isn’t just for human beings! It’s for all beings! Treating our furry friends—who make life joyful, carefree and humorous—with kindness and politeness is the least we can do for them. We will never be able to match their enthusiasm for life, their unconditional love and loyalty or their sweet and nurturing spirits with which they so eagerly greet us each morning, noon and night. We can only watch and learn…learn the true meaning of goodness, caring and friendship.

Kindness? Politeness? A small offering in return for the countless ways in which my beautiful, boisterous, barking shelties tell me every minute of every day, “You are the most important person in the world!”