Many people feel that it is not worth taking the time to train their puppy or dog. What about everything else we have to do these days in our busy lives, who has time?
Kimberly was like that. She had never bothered to train Jack… but then one day…
Kimberly and Jack excitedly ran to the top of the escarpment and watched the deep blue ocean waves roll in from the east. The sun barely appeared on the horizon, the cool sea breeze on her face made her feel completely alive and Kimberley was happier than ever.
The time she spent with Jack, the 3-year-old German Shepherd she had rescued from the animal shelter a few months earlier, was the most precious part of her life. She seemed to know exactly what she was thinking and she was devoted to Kim to the point of being a fan of hers.
He wouldn’t leave her side…unlike most of the other male companions she’d had earlier in her life.
Jack was the perfect partner.
He gave her unconditional love, was always there for her when she needed to talk to someone, put all his attention on her, never talked back to her, and always waited patiently for her when she got home from work at the pharmacy. .
The morning walks they shared helped her forget the many problems in her life and allowed her to simply enjoy herself.
This morning was special.
She was on the first day of her annual two-week vacation and had plans to take Jack up to the mountains to hike and camp for a few days later in the week.
The thought of getting away from the pressures of daily life gave her a rush of adrenaline and Jack could feel her excitement, howling and barking playfully as they frolicked in the grass at the top of the hill.
They played for more than half an hour and then went home to eat something.
Maybe it was the excitement of it all, but for some reason, Kimberly wasn’t thinking clearly as she untied Jack’s leash to let him run alone through the grassy fields as they headed down the hill toward the town below.
It happened in an instant.
Jack spotted a rabbit hiding in the grass and ran after the animal in a frenzy of excitement and playful enthusiasm.
Kimberley called out to him, but he was totally focused on catching the rabbit and heard nothing but the creature’s cries for help as he ran toward the safety of his neighborhood.
Jack was a beautiful sight to behold as he chased the rabbit in mid-flight across the grassy field. Every second he was beating the little creature, until he was only 10 feet behind her and quickly closed in on her.
But Kim watched in horror.
The rabbit had built his neighborhood near the edge of the cliff, and Jack was running full speed toward the huge drop that led down to the ocean.
Kim could feel fear welling up inside her and she called out to him frantically as she ran to the top of the cliff. “Stop Jack!” she yelled, but he paid no attention to her orders as she chased the rabbit up the cliff.
Just 6 feet from the edge of the cliff, the rabbit dropped into the safety of its underground home.
Jack didn’t see where the animal went, and in the few seconds it took for him to realize the rabbit had escaped, his momentum carried him off the cliff and over the edge.
Kimberley screamed as she saw her beloved companion disappear from sight. “Do not!” she yelled as she ran headlong towards the top of the jagged cliff.
She looked over the edge with tears running down her cheeks, fearing that her best friend had fallen to the rocks below.
He went to the edge and yelled at Jack, praying that by some miracle he had survived.
As he leaned back to look over the edge, he saw Jack perched precariously by a tree stump on a small outcropping about 20 feet below, injured, but alive.
If he had fallen off the cliff just 3 feet on each side of where he did, he would have fallen hundreds of feet to the rocks below. They had saved his life, at least for the time being, by a very narrow margin.
A great sense of relief coursed through Kimberley’s body when she saw that Jack was still alive.
He took out his mobile phone and called the police.
He quickly explained what had happened to the officer on the line and a rescue team was dispatched to the top of the cliff to rescue Jack.
Kimberley watched uneasily as the rescue team carefully transported her beloved Jack to safety from the outcrop that had saved his life.
His left hind leg had been broken and he had a few cuts and abrasions, but overall, he was a very lucky dog that day…and Kimberley knew it.
She looked up at the sky and gave thanks that her best friend had been saved.
She promised herself that as soon as Jack was back on all fours, she would start training him to obey her commands so that something like this would never happen again.
He felt guilty that his negligence in not properly training him from the start could have cost this beautiful animal its life. She felt sad but also happy that she had been given another chance with Jack, and she wasn’t about to waste it.
3 months later…
Kimberley and Jack are able to go back to their morning walks, but now Jack’s initiative is an option.
He obeys all of Kimberley’s commands, and they have a deep new respect for each other’s abilities that goes far beyond their roles as dog and master. They are really great friends.
You may not take your shepherd for off-leash walks near cliff tops, but there are plenty of equally dangerous hazards around your home that can get your favorite pet hurt…or worse.
Running into moving traffic, drinking something poisonous at home, jumping the fence, and fighting with other dogs…these are all situations that proper training can severely restrict or eliminate.
Think for a moment about how you would feel if your wonderful dog was injured or killed by a car right in front of you because he ran into the road despite your calls for him to come back.
Training is vital for all pets so they know what is expected of them and stay safe in an increasingly dangerous world. And properly educating your pet is your responsibility.
Please take the time to train your dog. If you don’t know where to start, there are plenty of good books to help.
Another option is to take him to obedience classes in your area.
This is the most focused training you can give him (and yourself…) but it’s also the most time consuming and expensive.
If you have the time and financial resources, it’s usually the best way (if you can find a good trainer), but if you don’t, reading a good training book and following its instructions will give you a solid foundation in how you train your dog. correctly.
Train him well, and he’ll reward you for it in so many ways you can’t imagine.
