I came across this last week via a friend on facebook (Thanks Timmy!)  I’ve seen a lot of things in all my years surfing the internet and receiving e-mails but I’ve never seen this.

As soon as I read it I thought, this should go to every person who adopts from a shelter, pound or rescue; and breeders and (*shudders*) pet stores should include it with their puppies as well.

While I was searching for the rightful owner in order to give credit where credit is due; I found a beautiful website where you can leave tribute (at no cost) to your best friend who has crossed the Rainbow Bridge. (I was too chicken to read any of them!) Michael (the website creator) describes it like this: This site is a little piece of cyberspace devoted to some of our temporarily lost ‘Best Friends’.

The credit for The 10 Commandments from a pet’s point of view goes to Stan Rawlinson.

• My life is likely to last 10-15 years; any separation from you will be painful for me. Remember that before you buy me.
• Give me time to understand what you want from me; don’t be impatient, short-tempered, or irritable.
•  Place your trust in me and I will always trust you back.
• Respect is earned not given as an inalienable right.
• Don’t be angry with me for long and don’t lock me up as punishment; I am not capable of understanding why. I only know I have been rejected. You have your work, entertainment, and friends, but I only have you.
•  Talk to me sometimes. Even if I don’t understand your words, I do understand your voice and your tone. You only have to look at my tail.
• Be aware that however you treat me, I’ll never forget it, and if it’s cruel, it may affect me forever.
• Please don’t hit me. I can’t hit back, but I can bite and scratch, and I really don’t ever want to do that.
• Before you scold me for being uncooperative, obstinate, or lazy, ask yourself if something might be bothering me. Perhaps I’m not getting the right foods or I’ve been out in the sun too long, or my heart is getting old and weak. It may be I am just dog-tired.
• Take care of me when I get old. You too will grow old and may also need love, care, comfort, and attention.
• Go with me on difficult journeys.  Never say, “I can’t bear to watch” or “Let it happen in my absence”. Everything is easier for me if you are there. Remember, regardless of what you do, I will always love you.

I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. Mr. Rawlinson’s website says it can be shared if you give credit and link back to him.

Please note, I am not endorsing Mr. Rawlinson; I am simply giving him credit for his work.

Week 4’s challenge for K-9 Kamp is jumping.  Jumping for an hour.  Jumping rope –  jumping onto something – jumping over something – jumping.

Yesterday when I walked the dogs I quickly realized they are far better at jumping than I am.  They jump over a lot of different things on their walks and I have no doubt THEY will complete the challenge this week.  Me, I’m not so sure. 

I first noticed Sampson jumping.  He jumped over Delilah’s check cord, over some logs and then over a bunch of different bushes as he ran through the brush.

Delilah jumped over logs, bushes and when she returned on her recall; she jumped up and down waiting for her little bits of beef. 

I started thinking about all the other times they jump throughout their day.  When they are wrestling they jump on and off the bed, and sometimes they just jump in the air, twisting and turning.

Of course Delilah jumps when there is food around.  At snack time she jumps up and down waiting for her treat.  She looks like Tigger jumping backwards when it’s meal time.

I was trying to figure out the best way to jump for myself; when I remembered watching a woman making her way up the street.  First she faced left and leading with her right leg sort of bounced herself up the street.  She repeated this about 10 times and then spun around and faced the other direction, this time using her left leg to propel her body forward.  Since I’m not the most coordinated person on the planet, I decided that would be my form of jumping.

Turns out I was right, it is a form of jumping and I CAN do it; just not for an hour.  Truthfully, it wasn’t a half hour or even 15 minutes either.  More like a couple of minutes at a time.

I also found out it is really hard to jump this way, when you are attached to a 75 pound dog by the means of a check cord on your wrist; in a wooded area with lots of debris.

Go ahead, laugh.  I’ll give you a minute to process that and maintain your composure again.

So as we stand; (bad choice of words) the dogs are doing really well with the jumping challenge.

I’m not doing as well; but I found I can do the sideways bounce.  In the parking lot.  At work.  At home.

There I’m done, go ahead and laugh. :-0