How Pets Train Us

Our Lutheran Librarian, Alec Satin, sent me the link to this wonderful book, My Dogs in the Northland, by Egerton R. Young. He took on missionary work in the frozen north, had little in the way of income, and ended up famous for his stories. 

Alec's theory is that pets teach us the games they want to play, allowing us to think we trained them.

Young wrote fascinating descriptions of his special dogs. Jack was a character that could to the butcher shop and bring home the meat in a basket, after taking along the list and the money to pay for them. Another dog became the doctor for the other dogs and treated their wounds and sores. 

Young's wife had her own dogsled, which she used to visit the native Indians in that part of Canada. The cold, snow, ice, and blizzards - carefully described - would make anyone marvel at the sacrifice and endurance of people and animals in the far North.

As everyone knows, Sassy is all personality. She enjoys pranking me, and I see the delight in her eyes when she has turned the tables on me again. Ranger Bob is her enabler but she does well on her own.

She makes a game out of jumping up on her bed (which she lets us use). She can effortlessly flow up to her spot. But if I am around, she needs to stop and whimper and ask for help. She got to the point one night where she took 15 attempts to get up on the bed but never jumped. I was getting peeved, so I saw down instead and petted her face.

Sassy grinned, because that is what she wanted. In fact, she glowed and smiled with affection. When she thinks I am short-changing her, she gives me the arrogant German Shepherd look, which makes me laugh and makes her scowl even more. But this was her affectionate puppy look. I got up and took my place at the computer. She sat down on the rug again with her head resting on the bed - she wanted more. I got up and petted her face and whispered about her great qualities. She had the biggest grin - or was she laughing inside and trying not to show it? I sat down at the computer again, because she did not want to jump up. She sat down a third time, looked over at me, and smiled. Eventually she made the jump, but she had me trained to spot her trick and pet her face, and tug on her ears.

Now Sassy knows she can get loveys from not jumping up on the bed, but sitting down with her head on the bed - aimed at me, "Time for pets!"

Some other great animal books are The Dog Who Wouldn't Be by Farley Mowatt (another Canadian. I memorized the book, reading it first in elementary school.

And - All Creatures Great and Small, James Herriot, English vet, plus many other stories.

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