Time Is Relative

Happy New Year!  Three hundred & sixty-six days have passed in what seems like a week.  The new golden puppy that was born in Jan. 2012, is now a gangly teenager. Your 7 year old can now compete in the Veteran class in the breed ring. Your 10 year old is entering his twilight years. In human years, it would be unthinkable to lose a 10 year old but for those who love dogs, life is compressed. The clock starts ticking from the moment the puppy is whelped. There is so little time to teach, to love, to share. As dog owners we are willing to risk that heartache, for the gift of joy and devotion. I got to thinking about the many ways that time is relative in the world of dogs.
To name a few: Adolescence- imagine if your golden were human.  He would be a trash eating, counter-surfing, recall avoiding teenager until the day he was old enough to leave home. That would be a very, very long time!
Puppyhood- the stuff we complain about, passes in what seems like the blink of an eye. Imagine if as a parent, you only had to change diapers for a few weeks or months?  Housebreaking doesn't seem so bad now, does it?
Long Stays- Why does the one minute sit-stay in the Novice A ring feel like an hour's detention in the principal's office?
Daylight Savings Time Ends- time stands still for a dog on this day.  Nothing is worse than this- not even the out-of-sight stays in Open.  The one hour wait seems like an eternity.  If your dog could talk he would say," take me to the vet, take away my bumpers but never, ever mess with my feeding schedule!"

Wishing you the gift of time in the coming new year.  Make every moment count!