Do not make the mistake of treating your dogs like humans or they will treat you like dogs.
– Martha Scott

Yeah, I don’t know who Martha Scott was either. According to Wikipedia Martha Scott was an American film, television, and stage actress during the second half of the the 20th century. Yawn…

Occasionally I’ll look for quotes to inspire a topic for a post. This was the case today. This quote resonated with me because I am learning to act like a human, think like a dog, and treat Kali like the dog she wants and deserves to be.  And guess what? I’m the alpha and that’s the way Kali wants it.

For the past couple of years I would joke with my adult children and Holly saying that I wanted either a grandchild or a dog within a year and that they needed to figure it out. So when no grandchildren were announced I took matters into my own hands. I briefly considered adopting a grandchild. Is that even possible? No matter, I quickly came to my senses and turned my attention to rescues and found Kali, our golden God-send.  Not a grandchild but every bit as special.

Here’s the point. Whether it was my kids, a someday-to-be grandchild, or our sweet Golden Kali my nature is to spoil them rotten. Fortunately as the kids were growing up my wife was the voice of reason.   Otherwise we would have had a yard full of ponies, pizza for dinner every night, every video game system known to man, and as many nights free from brushing teeth as they kids wanted.

Before Kali even arrived we lined up a professional trainer.  Really what he is doing is training us to be effective pack leaders for Kali so that she knows she is safe, that we will keep her from harm, and allow her to thrive as a member of our pack.

When we were younger and our kids were babies we aspired to be “yuppies” but couldn’t afford it.  Thank goodness .  No nannies, no horseback riding lessons, and no private soccer coaches.  Just good old fashioned family time, arguments at the dinner table, and camping.  But now years later I do feel a bit like a yuppie with the private dog trainer, regular trips to the pet store to get the greatest and latest for my sweet girl – no matter the cost,  and all the time in the world (much of the time ) for playtime and grooming.  Thank goodness.

Kali deserves the best. And the best is for Kali is to be treated like a dog.  So thank you Martha Scott for pointing out what should be obvious.  A dog is a dog and they deserve to be treated as such.  We as humans owe the dog we bring home – under any circumstance – respect, love, and dedication.

Holly treating (loving) Kali like a dog