“You’re not a very reputable if you don’t show or work your dogs.”
This is just one of the things I see posted all the time. And to a point I agree. I agree that dogs need a job. Most dogs were bred with a purpose and they thrived knowing they were needed. Even today they thrive knowing they matter and that they are needed and valued. My dogs have a job, they are companions. My mom was an owner/handler who showed in conformation and obedience. I respect and understand the show world. I admire mushers, admire the time they spend with their dogs, and how they keep them doing the job they were originally bred to do and that instinct still drives them to do. Truth be told, I hope to have my own cart soon even if South Texas temps are not very musher friendly.
Even if we don’t currently compete, they are far from couch potatoes. Besides running, laying and loving the pack life, my dogs have very important jobs as companions. They provided friendship to a lonely anxious child (my son), they watch over grand-babies, laying close and licking their little bare feet. They wake me up at 5 am so I don’t forget it’s coffee and cuddle time. Cause if I slept passed 5am it would be the end of the world! *hehe* They go for rides to pick up my son from school, because they missed their boy and can’t wait to see him. They comfort him when he has a 104 fever, never leaving his side. They listen to my worries, dreams and hopes. They warm my feet on a cold day, and are my walking buddies when I’m trying to reach my step goal. They pile up on the bed and surround me when I’m anxious and help keep the panic attacks away. They lick my tears when I’m sad, and bark at strange noises when I am home alone. They greet my husband after being gone for a week, letting him know he is missed and loved. They swim, run, walk, dig, and climb. They are important to us and I’d like to think we are just as important to them. They have daily jobs, jobs they think are important and I would be lost without them.
If I can give another family a companion half as amazing as mine, give them smiles, sweet moments and happy memories and that makes anyone judge and label me, then I think the problem lies with them, not me.