On a personal note, I am sitting in the DC airport looking out over the Potomac River with the Washington Monument and Capitol dome in the background. My annual trip for Baldrige Quality Award training wasn't as much fun as last year. It was all business this year, Lisa and Monte did not make the trip. I missed them both very much.
Fortunately the airport has free WiFi, so I can keep busy while I wait for my flight, in five and a half hours. So I may have time for a few posts.
As I spoke with Lisa last night, there wasn't much of anything new going on in our lives. Our discussion focused on Monte's adventures and (mis)behavior. This got me to thinking about the relationships we enjoy with our canine pets and trainees. I may be in big trouble when I get home, but I think we miss our pets more. To clarify, we love and care for our family much more than the dogs that share our lives.
Maybe you all don't experience this, it's just that I seem to spend more time interacting with Monte than I do with my wife. Monte gets breakfast and a walk in the morning, while Lisa gets a quick "Good-Bye". He greets me at the door in anticipation of our afternoon walk/run, which usually takes an hour, while I hurriedly greet Lisa on my way to change clothes.
We have a ritual for feeding Monte that requires him to wait before he gobbles his food and then he retires to "bed for a half hour and we prepare our own dinner(s). Then every night we may have an event scheduled for him or he receives some special attention (brushing, nail trimming, training). Lisa and I prepare our separate meals that we eat in front of the television, usually together.
These observation have caused me to rethink and modify how I spend my time going forward. Dogs do not teach us, but rather provide an opportunity to learn about ourselves.
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