I thought you might like to have a sampling of 14000 Dogs Later. I’m not crazy about starting at the end…but here’s a snippet of one of the closing chapters. It reminds me of the everyday value of having your dog at your side.
When I first watched KaTrinka care for her pups I was six years old. And yet that moving-picture is etched in my brain and I can recall it for replay instantly. That event made me a changed person and constantly reminds me life is miraculous, magical, fragile, and dependant.
In winning Best of Breed at Westminster, Shambeau taught me humility. Fletcher, in going for my throat, taught me caution. The dogs and horses that I have put down taught me that, if we are not careful, time passes unnoticed. All the dogs I have buried have taught me respect. Watching the relationships between dogs and humans has shown me the goodness in people’s hearts. Seeing and experiencing the adulation that dogs have for their masters has given me the opportunity of experiencing one of the greatest gifts from God. Each of these experiences has made me a changed person…and has changed my life for the better.
What are the bookmarks in your life with dogs that have made you a changed person?
- Did a dog sit with you when you were sad or happy?
- Did you stop by the wayside and pick up a starving pup?
- Did a stray dog slink into your life at just the right moment?
- Did you rescue a dog that had been abused, burned, or broken?
- Did your dog sound the alarm and save you from a fire…a rapist…a thief?
- Was your dog there for you when your son or daughter left home and moved on with their lives? Was he there when your spouse died?
- Did he bring excitement into your life by locking you out of the car, or by bringing you unwanted gifts, or by climbing up on the kitchen counter and eating someone’s birthday cake?
- In what ways have dogs changed your life? In what ways do you look at life differently because of your dog? Are you a more compassionate, patient, or caring person because of your dog? And, most important, have you been able to transpose what you have learned from dogs to improved relations with your fellow man?
A new Blog will be posted each weekend at www.14000dogslater.wordpress.com All of my books are now available for electronic devices for $3.00 at www.jprestonsmith.com/ebooks. My web site is www.jprestonsmith.com Woof!!
The Bog 