What I Have Learned From My Dog & How It Changed My Life

Owning a dog is a very rewarding experience. Returning home from work after an increasingly bad day to find a happy and energetic companion can brighten up anyone's day. Recently, I have discovered that owning a puppy is even better.

Unfortunately, I had to live through the pain of loosing my beloved dog, Joe, after ten great years together. My sadness in loosing my best friend was immense. Joe and I did everything together. We walked, hiked, kayaked, and volunteered together. He was literarily my best friend. I can still remember thinking that the bad news the vet delivered was wrong. I wasn't ready and I didn't think my time with Joe would be ending that quickly. But, alas, one has to accept things that are out of their control.

Moving out of that sad experience, I met Shai. Shai was 12 weeks old when I first met her. She was feisty, spunky, and full of life. Adopting Shai almost did not happen. Another family had found her first and were selected to take her. However, after a week thy realized that this puppy was not a good match for their family. She was returned and I was the new lucky owner.

Being with Shai has taught me a lot about life. Shai has a love of learning new things and a love of the world around her. Everything is new to Shai and that newness is such a refreshing part of owning her. On a walk one day, she stopped and would not move any further. The wheelbarrow sitting in a neighbor's yard had caught her eye. Slowly we moved for her to investigate it and eventually moved on our way.

This newness that I see in Shai I hope to keep alive within myself. I want to forever learn new things and never loose that sense of wonderment. It is difficult to keep that magic alive, after all, we are conditioned to want to be know-it-alls. We never want to be that vulnerable for anyone to think that we don't know what we are talking about, especially as leaders. Having said that, I think there is great strength in saying, "I am unsure, but I will find out" or "I am unsure, but let's figure this out together".