Dear Dekker
‘Dear Dekker’ is wisdom from a British black lab who was trained from puppyhood to be a service dog.
His talents for writing emerged when he was young, and they bloomed during the pandemic.
Dekker ‘writes’ a monthly column for TheReflectivePen bringing his canine wisdom to human problems. and he loves to receive comments (and questions) – possibly because of the kibble treat that he receives for each one.
Dear Dekker,
I am writing to you because I have what some people call mid-winter blues.
I can’t seem to find the energy to keep going out on these cold days.
I wonder if this happens to you. All I want to do is sit
by the fire, and I have so many projects I had
planned to do this winter that are just
not getting done. I feel so guilty.
Lazy Larry
Woof woof, Larry. Be thankful you don’t have to squat in a snow pile if you know what I mean. The other problem is the ball my person throws for me doesn’t bounce in the snow, and sometimes it gets lost. It is hard to sniff out too. But losing energy? Not at all! I love to run and jump in the snow, and the cold only makes my nose tingle, which makes my tail wag.
Have you thought about just playing in the snow until your nose tingles?
I envy you sitting by the fire. People seem to be working all the time and never get a chance to chill. Your projects are like the balls buried somewhere under the snow…they will be there waiting for us in the spring. My advice? Enjoy the fire. No guilt to be had! Woof!
Dear Dekker,
My girlfriend is expecting a ring on Valentine’s Day, and I have
been planning roses and a card. She really wants
more than I am ready to commit to this year.
I have no idea what to tell her. Help!
(No) Romeo
Woof Woof, Romeo – Why tell her anything? There are many times I want something that my person isn’t going to give me, like a treat after dinner for example. I want it so bad that my entire body wiggles. I bet your girlfriend will wiggle too on Valentine’s Day. That’s expected.
I know I am supposed to be sitting but I just can’t keep my butt on the floor. I really really want that treat and the most I get is my ears scratched and lots of sweet words.
When I look into my person’s eyes I know I am loved and that she is committed to me. I don’t need the treat to prove it. If you really really love her and show it, she won’t leave.
If she begins to wiggle her butt, be sure to scratch it and look her in the eyes when you tell her you love her.
Dear Dekker,
How did you get to be so wise? Is it a matter of age? (I know
you just had a birthday!) Or were you born wise?
How come I have never seen a wise puppy? Or
is it a matter of breeding? Can wisdom be learned?
This is important to me because I want to be
as wise as you when I am old, but my parents
aren’t really too bright. Do I have a
chance at wisdom?
Thanks, Dory
Woof Woof, Dory. I think there are a lot of wise puppies. It’s just that they are so busy following their noses that they don’t take time to slow down and appreciate their wisdom. Wisdom takes a bit of stillness to steep, kind of like tea.
I come from a long line of service pups, most of whom guide people who cannot see where they are going. You have to be wise to lead someone like that. If they could smell that might help, but I notice people don’t use their noses much either.
You ask if wisdom can be learned. Wisdom is like a good bone. You can’t ‘learn’ a bone but you can receive it and chew on it for a long time.
Your parents (or you) don’t have to be particularly smart to have wisdom. And you don’t have to go hunting for it.
You do have to be willing to settle down quietly and take your time chewing on an idea. Wisdom will find you.
Dear Dekker,
Can you explain why some people are so afraid of dogs?
My little “Poochie” is totally harmless, even though I
admit she can be a bit yappy at times. When
I take her out, there is a woman on my
street who will cross over to the other
side to avoid her.
Betty
Woof woof, Betty. I find that hard to understand myself. Every now and then my person will meet someone whose eyes grow big and I can smell their sweat and feel their heartbeat racing.
I just want to be able to tell them “Relax! I don’t bite.”
But of course, if I tried to speak my yip would send them running. So I turn my big brown eyes up like a stuffed teddy bear and lie down so they won’t feel scared.
Sometimes even that doesn’t help.
A person who reacts that way is a lot like a dog I knew once. Ruger had been badly beaten as a puppy and just being around people made him quiver and pull back.
Poochie may seem harmless to you, but to someone who has been bitten by a dog in the past, she is a real threat. They are not going to take a chance again.
The kind thing to do when you meet someone whose hair stands up on the back of their neck when meeting Poochie is to respect their fear.
You could move her away from them, and getting Poochie to look at you will also help. My person always gives me a treat for that looking at her. Don’t know why, but I love it!
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