Our lovely girl Spider is clearly a dog who believes in efficiency. After a pleasant visit to the vet's this morning for x-rays, she came home and decided that today was the day for her first litter. She rested a few hours, and then set to work.
Norman Mailer was a well known philanderer. He loved women, or at least loved loving them. He worked his way through five marriages and countless affairs by time he married Norris Church. According to her in her memoir, "A Ticket to the Circus" Mailer actually wished to give fidelity and monogamy a try, wanted to see what intimacy and depth might be possible in a faithful relationship. That lasted about six years before he had an affair. But he did try...When people asked Norris which wife she was, she answered, "The last one." Which she was. I love that answer.
I don't read a lot of blogs, but the few that I do are ones that offer food for thought. Dr. Alex Lickerman's Happiness in This World blog is one that satisfies deeply, over and over again.
His entry on "How To Be Great" should be required reading for dog trainers (whether practicing, wanna-be, hope to be), or anyone who is in pursuit of excellence.
My friend Tom O'Dowd is not just a long time friend as well as a wonderful, kind, smart man and a talented videographer. He's also a singular source for cool information from every corner of the 'net. We share a fascination with animals and behavior, and so he's great about passing along to me all kinds of stuff.
This past weekend, I had the privilege of meeting Cindy Hickey while I was teaching in Minnesota. In every seminar, I have a deep conviction that there is at least one dog and one person that I am there to help in some way. Additionally, in each seminar I give, there are blessings and lessons that I take away from the dogs and people I work with and meet.
