ENJOY 2010 Doggie obedience school

Doggie obedience school

 When my son was born, my mother came to help us. It was about 5 years ago. My mother was surprised to see me bathing my son. Yes, I did good job. He was only a few days old. As you imagine, he was like a baby doll. My mother asked me how I learned to bath a new born baby. I said, “I’ve done it before.” Well, it was new to my son, but I did it with my lovely dog, MOMO. MOMO is American Cocker Spaniel. When I got MOMO, she was only seven weeks old. I was single at that time, so MOMO was like my first child. I raised her as my child.  I thought taking care of a puppy was almost same as taking care of a baby, and now I can say, yes, it is!

 I had lived in my friend’s house until I got married. My friend hadn’t had any dogs in his life, so I could not have a dog there. I really missed my dogs. I wanted to have a dog, but he never said, “yes.” I walked to the pet store on the street to see dogs. One day I caught a cold. It was not just a cold. I guess it was flu. I stayed in bed for a few days. He asked me what I want or/and need. I said, “Oh, I wish I could have a dog with me. Then, I would never get sick. I am 100% sure I can be healthy.” “Are you sure?” he asked. Finally, he let me have a dog. It had taken one year to have my dream comes true.

 MOMO was a beautiful puppy. Whenever I walked her, people asked me where I got her. They always gave us a lot of compliments. I was proud of her. One day, I was invited to my old friend, Evelyn’s house. We have been friends since she visited my parents’ house in Japan. Evelyn had a pool in her back yard. It was summer, so we enjoyed swimming and chatting there. Evelyn’s daughter, Jane, is same age as I am. She loves animals, and became a vet. When we chatted in the pool, little MOMO saw me, and jumped in water. MOMO didn’t know how deep it was. She did not know how to swim, and was almost drowned. Since then, she has been scared of water, and never comes close to water.

 MOMO was chicken. When I saw her first time, I learned it. This is one of the reasons I picked her. I love this part of MOMO. When Jane saw MOMO, Jane said the same. MOMO is scared of a lot of things. It is much better than aggressive. Jane recommended a doggie obedience school for MOMO. Once you get a pet, you should have a lot of responsibility. As you educate your child, you should educate your pet. Pet is pet, is not a human. We, owner and pet, should enjoy living together. In order to do it, pets need a place to learn.

 We started going to obedience school when MOMO was nine months old. There was a nice school in our neighbors. Most people in Morris county have heard “St. Hubert’s”.  St. Hubert’s is a non-profit organization, and has many programs related to animals. They have doggie obedience classes in the different age and levels. MOMO started the beginner class. Every Saturday morning, I and MOMO went to school together. The teacher had her companion, and they showed us how Mom(owner) and child(dog) work together. We got homework for each lesson. It was so much fun. MOMO started learning, “down”, “sit”, and “wait”. MOMO was too excited in the lesson, but we worked hard at home. So we could graduate. Learning is fun. MOMO, even now, remembers what she learned there.

 Some people say, “my dog is stupid,” but I think it is wrong. No dog is stupid. You should educate your pet once you get him/her. It is your responsibility. Dog is just like a child. You should watch his/her health, and educate him/her. Then, he/she learns. I never got mad nor scared MOMO. I taught her a lot of things with smile. You should know dog is dog even you feel he/she is like your baby. We both need to understand each other. First, we both have to learn each other. I strongly recommend the obedience school for the owners and doggies. My little MOMO is now 12 years old, and is not little any more. She moves and walks slowly. But she still obeys me even her hearing is not as good as it was. We have had comfortable life together because we learn, understand and respect each other.  You can go to St. hubert’s website, and see what programs they have. Those programs are interesting to animals lovers.