Faces of family and friends…
Elizabeth and Maize
Galen and Syd
Cali and pups
Kathy
Joan
Dear Husband
Elizabeth and Halo
Joan
Galen
Galen and Zoey
Elizabeth, Kai and Cadi
Kai and Cadi
Kate
Love
Framing the Past
In the process of unpacking some long-packed boxes in my office, I came across a digital photo frame. I plugged it in and the past literally played out in front of me. Dogs, cats, people, and places — they moved silently through the frame, reminding me that losses forever exist as bruises on our souls.
Yes, I felt wonder and joy at seeing faces I love even as I had to remind myself to save the tears for a time in which they would could be private and indulged. I eventually had to simply turn off the frame — it was taking too much emotional energy to not sit and watch — and cry.
And it was in my work office, after all.
I downloaded all the photos and this morning — as I sit in a hotel room at Fairmont Hot Springs because of a work-related event — I decided the time was right to start sharing them — with myself and with you.
Thank you for resting your heart next to my bruises.
This is Abra. She started it all.
Abra is the mother of the A & B Litters, was High in Trial at the 2001 National Specialty, a Versatility Dog and also Top Producer of Versatility Dogs, my first Tracking Dog, and so much more.
This is Sydney from the Glitterati and the original Feline Puppy Nanny, Noah.
Sydney again with Zoey — they were 2.5 months apart in age.
In case those of you with iPups and Sparklers wonder where the jump gene comes from. This is Zoey — she was under a year and kept getting out of her x-pen. I would come home and the x-pen was up but she was not in it — this is how she was doing that:
The cats are long threads through the tapestry of the dogs’ lives — this is Karma with Halo from the B Litter.
Karma again with Sydney.
This is Asia. Oh, Asia. Grand Champion. Tracking Champion. Failed orthopedics and so was never bred — but because Asia was so amazing I repeated the breeding and got Zoey. A reminder that sometimes the thing that breaks our heart is simply a redirection.
Caption: “Let me tell you what happened in Iowa last night…”
This is Cadi in the pink — she is from the C Litter and is the mother of the Glitterati. Next to her is Maize from the A Litter — Cadi’s mom. Both were amazing dogs and so beloved.
A puppy is full of promise and hope. And so frustrating and hard and all that. But someday you will look at her photo and your heart will shatter again at the remembering, and you would give anything to have her back — to bite you, to pee in the hall, to frustrate you.
These dogs have taught me that heart breaking lesson. My awareness that they will leave me is why I train them using “no regrets” positive methods, and why they simply cannot disappoint me. No matter what.
Hold them close to your heart — the very one they will break.
This is Zoey and Sydney as puppies.
Galen lived with me at the time and helped with those two litters — Sydney was “his” and Zoey was “mine.” The two puppies basically decided that between themselves, and it was like that for their entire lives. Sydney ALWAYS turned inside out (and peed) when she saw Galen — hence the need for greetings to happen outside ;)
Sydney is the mother of the H Moon Litter. Accomplished, smart, and independent with the kind disposition of her Grandma Maize and the happy energy of her mom, Cadi — what a joyful dog Sydney was.
Zoey was an incredibly accomplished dog — a Grand Champion who was also a multiple High in trial obedience dog, including at a National Specialty. She earned all the difficult titles — you can check it out in Berner-Garde. But those things are only a reflection of the relationship we shared, and it is was/is that relationship that was the treasure — the thing of value.
Anyone who knew Maize in her long life will tell you that she was Perfect in every way. Kind, smart, fun, loving to all.
We so loved (still do) Mrs. Maize so much — she was a-maizing.
Halo is the mother of the E and F Litters. Halo was a talented, smart, devoted dog — she could also open the refrigerator. Seriously. She got her Tracking Dog title on her exact six-month birthday, which is the youngest a dog can be entered in a test, and that was the start to an accomplished and well-loved life.
Halo gave me Zoey.
This is Zoey’s TD —she was seven moths.
At that same Specialty she placed in all three puppy classes — Sweeps, Futurity, and the regular classes. Zoey was balanced and beautiful and moved like a dream. I see Zoey in the Sparklers — she is their grandmother.
Can you see why I had to turn off the digital frame?! Please pass the kleenex.
And tomorrow? The humans in the photos…
Berners with The Edge
I did not really know what to call this newest online course and so there you go: Berners with The Edge. This class will now occupy the Sunday blog space.
A few weeks ago — in the announcement for this course — I shared that The Edge in canine performance events develops from working towards clearly articulated goals in the context of a confident, collaborative, effective – and ethical -- relationship with our dog.
I shared that I thought the key ingredients are:
Clarity: We can only arrive at a destination when we choose one.
Communication: Mind reading is not actually a thing.
Collaboration: Who wants to exist under a dictator? #team
Confidence: When you got this, you got this.
Integrity: Always and in everything.
I think all that can be summarized in a word — The Edge is the human.
But not just any human.
The Edge for a performance dog is a reflective, thoughtful, optimistic, hopeful, confident, ethical, and respectful human.
A human who can be vulnerable and therefore — open. It is that ability to be both vulnerable and open that allows us to grow and change and get better.
The willingness to be vulnerable requires a certain kind of confidence. If we are insecure, defensive, and stuck, the only edge we have are the sharp ones we use to protect our fragile, messy, imperfect selves from others.
That is both exhausting and unnecessary — those “others” are also fragile, messy, imperfect selves. Don’t make the mistake of judging your Inside Self against the Outside Self of others - that is unfair. All humans are fragile, messy, and imperfect; if they weren’t, they would be dogs and not humans.
And so my invitation for this class is to those who want to be better human partners for their dogs, and who are willing to be a supportive member of an online learning community.
My goal for this class is simply that we move you, the human, towards being a stronger advantage (or Edge) for your dog, no matter where you find yourself right now or what personal goals you have.
We will do this through an online community built around activities, reflection, information, training ideas — and fun.
This is a closed, time-limited group—no auditing is allowed, membership has to be initiated in Week One, and we will finish in the first week of May.
The specific tasks for this week:
Please consider what it means to be vulnerable by watching this TED Talk.
Please spend some time researching effective goal setting; jot down notes from your research for your own use and also to share with others.
Be prepared to share/discuss one long-term (12 - 14 weeks) performance goal you have for your team (i.e., you and your dog).
If you have the time, emotional space, and desire to join this learning community, please search for the Facebook group Berners with the Edge and request to join.
Questions? You may email me at sontag.bowman@gmail.com