Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Doggie Class-Part Deux

My Major is the white dog, second from the left. Some owners are kneeling next to their dogs in an attempt to get them to sit. Class is just so much fun and entertaining, too.

There was a dog in class who would constantly bark whenever we walked around. I thought, surely the teacher will jump on that behavior problem quickly. His bark was loud and annoying. But nooooo, she did not. I wondered why, but after a few lessons, all the dogs learned to do their work and ignore him. Now Major isn't bothered when other dogs bark. Hmmmm.

And this is cute brown dog, Jack, was Majors best doggie friend. They loved to play. At first I was hesitant because he looked mean. The upper lip would curl and he would bark. But that was his way of "smiling" and saying hi. We laughingly called him, "Snarly Jack." (We still use that term for some people.) :P

"You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am." John 13:13

Do you have "barkers" around you, either in the form of people, circumstances or personal attitudes? I know the Lord must remind me to ignore those other things and concentrate on my job. And what about the "Snarly Jacks?" I find many people, behind that rough exterior, want to enjoy friendship.

How come, Lord, dogs figure this out quicker than I?

Photos:karenevans

18 comments:

Wendy Paine Miller said...

Families on both side entirely full of barkers. ;D

We never took our dog to training. Hmmm. Explains much.
~ Wendy

Kathy Cassel said...

I guess we all need to learn to shut out the barking.

Do they accept humans in this class????

Parsley said...

You are speaking a language I understand. :-)

Diane said...

I love discovering the soft, tenderness behind the snarly Jack's! :O)

IanH said...

A bark collar works wonders! I would like to try one on a few people though!

Laura@OutnumberedMom said...

Oh, my...so true, Karen! I have both barkers and Snarly Jacks, among my students as well as coworkers. Humbling, isn't it, that dogs figure it out before we do!

Hilary said...

Oh we have a dog on our street who "smiles" like that. He's a great big standard poodle mixed with something else. He comes galloping up and gives one of those smiles just before his paws land on my shoulders. He all curly fur and appears to be way heavier than he really is. His landing is soft and gentle and just as his size defeats his true light weight, his kisses defeat the appearance of the snarl.. hence we call it his smile. Gotta love dogs.

Unknown said...

Do you have a secret spy cam inside my brain?! Been bothered by some "barkers" as of late. Thanks for this reminder :)

Karen said...

Wendy, classes are fun, too, at any age.

Kathy, well, they let me in, though I think you have to bring a dog!

Parsley, :)

Diane, I know-it does take some work, though.

Ian, lol....

Laura, yes, they can be anywhere. God's animals do teach us things.

Hilary, oh I can just see that dog. I imagine he gets along with Benny?

Hi Sara, I think we all have'em. Glad to hear from you. Hope all is well.

alicia said...

I just love how you take an innocent story and relate it to how God works in our lives- I so get you!

BTW- I came home from my Cali trip to find a wonderful box waiting for me! I love it, and thank you so very much! You are too kind!
Blesings to you today...

Stephanie Faris said...

Dogs have that animal instinct...they don't really have logic or reason as we do. So we can tend to "reason" ourselves out of it...but often our reasoning is based on past experience and can be colored by other factors.

Janean said...

hugs for major and you! i remember taking one of our puppies to obedience class. at the time i thought he *wasn't getting it,* but it really paid off as he got older. yay!!!

Dave said...

Your doggie class looks like fun Karen - Dave

Jeanette Levellie said...

What a great story and, as always, your analogies are right on target.

In the ministry for 35 years, we've known many barkers and snarlers. Makes life, um... interesting.

Dogs have less on their minds; that's why they catch on quicker. They aim to please, too.

Unknown said...

I love all of these dogs! You are making me reconsider my earlier decision to have no dogs in our house. I didn't want to mess with the fur, stench and fur. You make me want to hold a dog in my lap right now! :) BTW, I am following you from the comment you left on my guest post for Melinda's "Coming Clean" blog. I wrote a silly piece that included a sentence about people waltzing like nincompoops inside her slippery, bubbly website. :)

Karen said...

Alicia, ohhh, I'm so glad you like your gift. Enjoy!

Stephanie, I like that, "reason it out of ourselves."

Janean, wasn't that fun? Major remembers, too and obeys if he's not too excited. :)

Dave, oh it was loads of fun!

Jeanette, oh, "aim to please." That might be a good doctrine. :)

Kelley, hey, thanks for stopping by. I love Melinda, such a sweetheart! Well, having a dog is a trade-off. The good and the bad. Of course you could always get a hairless! :P

Connie Arnold said...

I love the Snarly Jack, Karen! We often do that with people, judging them from how they look without taking time to find out what they're really like.

Karen said...

Connie, yes, I've often remembered that term when I am around others and remind myself of Snarly Jack. :P