WHY DOGS

Why dogs? This question raises more questions than answers for me. I think of all the different reasons I choose to work with dogs and I find my mind branching off in all different directions . I have been a dog lover for most of my life starting with my first dog; Mr. Papoophnic. A medium sized mongrel who was protector / babysitter for me and my siblings. Over the years I have had the privilege of knowing many dogs and to say they have taught me a lot doesn't really express how I feel about my relationship to them. The best dog in my mind would be my now deceased lead dog Pan. He was so influential in the creation of the person I have become. I shared an understanding with him, we communicated on a mental plane where looks and body posture signaled greetings or concern or a myriad of other things. Pan, I believe will always be the best dog I will ever have known. Though he was my lead dog he didn't always do as I asked and he had a way of looking at me that told me when I was not being respectful. That was one thing about Pan was he demanded respect. He never bit me or was aggressive with me but if I was disrespectful with him his look of disappointment touched me. I truly cared deeply for him and his comfort with me was important. In his later years we became very close and I miss him often mostly because like a true friend he supported me through thick and thin and though we didn't always agree he was always there for me as a loyal companion. I am lucky to have some of his children as team members in our kennel. I can't help being closer to them than the other dogs. I am still close to the other dogs but they can't have the same connection as Pankids. I have many reasons to work with dogs but probably the biggest is that I have a connection to another life form where I can communicate and share and where looks communicate expressions of feelings and those feelings we share. So when we do a trip and it is cold and beautiful and the moon is out the dogs run fast..... We get back to the truck and there is a feeling of serenity and joy...