It is amazing what we can learn from animals. Unconditional love, patience and boundaries are just a few of the things we’ve learned from our rescue pup Yeti.
Recently, Yeti has taught our smallest neighbors to always ask before petting a dog. Because he’s not the best around little ones, we’ve told all of our young neighbors to be very cautious around him. This is hard because to them he looks like a loveable stuffed animal come to life. Likely because they are annoyed at his unwillingness to play with them, many of them call him (in the most affectionate way possible) “bad dog.”
We couldn’t resist playing on that title this Halloween when we knew our little friends would be by for trick-or-treating. My sister found a perfect jail bird costume for Yeti and I created a “jail” for him using tape on our front window. The picture you see here is just a glimpse of the cuteness overload. Our young neighbors loved seeing “bad dog” in his jail and Yeti played the part very well.
My sister found a perfect jail bird costume for Yeti and I created a “jail” for him using tape on our front window. The picture you see here is just a glimpse of the cuteness overload. Our young neighbors loved seeing “bad dog” in his jail and Yeti played the part very well.
I’ve had the pleasure of learning from other animals as well, specifically those that make up part of the LeadQuine team featured in this issue’s cover story. Last spring, I had the opportunity to step way outside of my comfort zone and attend one of the LeadQuine Taster Events that showcased to local business people just a few of the offerings their company has.
At the event, LeadQuine owners Ellen Patnaude and Danielle Leach divided the group into teams and had us perform what should be a few simple tasks involving horses. For example, we were asked to select a horse, put on its harness and bring it to the front of the arena to be groomed. Sounds simple, but it was not. Although I grew up in a rural area, I have zero experience when it comes to larger animals, including horses.
I was nervous, my team was nervous, and the horse was nervous. I got dirty, I got discouraged, but most importantly, I got a lesson in living outside of my comfort zone. While the experience happened more than six months ago, I still find myself back in that day, feeling very unsure, standing in sand-filled boots and having to do the task anyway. I draw on it each time I need a reminder that I, in fact, can do things outside of my comfort zone.
Along with the feature on LeadQuine, this issue is filled with features involving animals teaching humans important lessons. From pokey pets to pit bulls who love fashion, this issue has so many great stories.
If you have a great story to tell too, we’d love to hear it and share it with readers in our Spring 2019 issue. Please email me at ecaswell@mihomepaper.com. Until then, have a great start to your New Year.
Happy tails!
— Emily P. Caswell
Editor, The Pet Press
