Sometimes, we meet people who are overwhelmed by the choice they’ve made when they get a dog. Raising a puppy can be hard, and throwing that on top of everything else going on in your life can make it seem insurmountable. We, as professional trainers, have been there. But we also know that if you put in the time and the effort, you will be rewarded with the bestest dog ever.
Enter Nala. Nala is a Rhodesian Ridgeback. Her family had had labs before, and were a little surprised at Nala’s love of running and play “attacking” them as if they were lions on the Serengeti. They did a lot of training with her, but occassionally found themselves overwhelmed by her energy, intelligence and Rhodie attitude.
Unfortunately, as trainers, we don’t get to spend 24/7 with you and your dog. Occassionally, we do get a chance to spend an extended amount of time with one of your pups, and then we get an insight into the true wonder that is your dog. I got to watch Nala while her family went out of town. What Nala did that day will cement her in my mind as one of the greatest dogs of all time.
We took Gunnar (my dog) and Nala on a nice long walk in the woods. Ronaele joined us with her collies, so we were quite the pack. Gunnar and Nala were playing and running. Nala was dragging a 20 foot lead so I could catch her if necessary. I needn’t have worried, she was never more than 3 feet from me the entire time.
Gunnar loves to swim, so we went down to the Charles to let everyone swim. Nala wasn’t too thrilled with the water, but she did follow Gunnar in and, much to her surprise, found herself swimming. Once she’d experienced that, she decided she preferred to wade while the others swam. We were throwing sticks into the river for Gunnar to go get. I went to go retrieve one of the sticks when my foot caught on a root and before I knew it, I had tripped, fallen, smashed my face on a rock and rolled into the Charles. The first thing I saw when I opened my eyes was a Rhodie nose. Gunnar was waiting patiently for me to throw the stick and the collies were watching me safely from the bank. Nala was next to me in a flash.
The walk back to the car was fun. With a split lip and a banged up knee, it took a while to get back to the car. Gunnar was bummed that his swim had ended, and the collies were worried because Ronaele was worried. But Nala was glued to me. She kept looking up at me in amazement. I’m not sure if she was amazed at how much blood there was, or how stupid I was for falling into the river. Either way, she wouldn’t leave my side, and even chased Gunnar away from me when we got to the car.
I returned Nala to her family later that day (on my way to the local Urgent Care Clinic) looking like a prize fighter who had lost badly. The only good thing about that day was Nala. I saw her true colors come shining through that day. I knew that she was going to be a loyal, loving, caring and compassionate family member. I won’t deny that I’m a little jealous. Rhodies are amazing dogs, and the more work you put into them, the more amazing they are. Nala is in a class unto herself.
I guess the moral of this story is that if you put in the work, your dog is going to be the best dog he or she can be. Hopefully, it won’t take a fall into the Charles to show you how fantastic your dog is. But, if you do, I hope your pup is half as good as Nala.