Pawndering with Dekker
Welcome to the ‘pawnderings’ of Dekker, a middle aged canine who loves to share his wisdom…as long as there is a piece of kibble in return.
As a well trained service dog, Dekker knows many commands that are practical in his service to the writer of this blog, but his literary bent didn’t reveal itself until the pandemic.
Like the humans around him, he often found himself bored and restless at being stuck at home and decided to take up writing an ‘advice column’ to pass the time.
His advice should always be taken with a ‘grain of kibble’ and not construed to be medical or legal advice in any way.
Dear Dekker,
I have to have surgery in a few weeks and I am really scared.
It is not major surgery as things go, but it is major to me.
I notice you are always calm no matter what is going on.
Do you have any advice to help me stay relaxed?
Thank you, Anxious Arthur
Woof, Woof, Arthur. A big part of staying calm I got from my great great grandfather and it was passed down to me when I was born. My parents had been carefully chosen so I would be as brave and confident as they were.
I understand humans don’t have that option and are more like my friends Bucky and Rover who have no idea who their grandparents were. When I watch them play I wonder if their ancestors might have been squirrels or crows. They are always running in circles and yapping.
Rover, particularly, is afraid of anything that moves. And Bucky? Well, he goes and hides whenever I come over to play.
I think it is important to be just who you are, regardless of your grandparents, when you have your surgery. If you can’t relax, you may have other important traits like following directions and asking for help.
Trust your handlers. They know what they are doing. And keep your mind on the kibble. Or maybe that would be chocolate for you. I notice humans really like chocolate.
I never get any so I wouldn’t know if it’s good. And let me know if no one gives you some. As a service dog, I’ll know how to sniff chocolate out and bring it to you.
Dear Dekker,
I am going to be 85 years old soon and some of my family want me to slow down.
I don’t want to! I enjoy hiking and fishing and I love tying flies.
I take them to the fair each summer, making enough money
to buy more supplies— and then some. I teach people young
and old how to create these lures so they can go fishing too.
Sometimes I travel out of state to craft shows.
My family think at my age I should be content
with watching a ball game on TV.
I would much rather go to the game!
What can I say to people who
want me to ‘act my age?’
Thank you, Frank
Woof Woof…I would be blunt. You ARE acting your age!! Tell them to go chew a bone. I’ll give them one of mine if they don’t have any.
Dear Dekker,
I am eight years old and I have many questions.
My father tries to answer them, but I think he is crazy.
When I asked him what makes the wind blow he said
“It’s the trees waving back and forth.”
Is this true?
Thank you, Bobby
Woof Woof, Bobby. I cannot answer difficult questions like that, but I do have an opinion on how you can find the answers for yourself.
I use my nose. It tells me almost everything I want to know: who has been on this spot, what did they have to eat, are they male or female, and were they in a hurry or did they stick around for a while.
I notice people never use their nose but you might give it a try.
Lick your nose to make it wet and then hold it up to the wind. If it doesn’t tell you anything, you might try using your ears or your eyes.
My eyes aren’t great for this but I bet you could see the truth if you learn to pause, and listen, and trust your instincts.
Dear Dekker,
I am an artist and people just don’t understand. They keep asking me how I painted a feather or carved a bird.
I don’t ask my friend who is a writer how he writes a poem, or my other friend
who is a musician how she creates a beautiful sound on her oboe.
Maybe I am different, but to me these are personal questions
that go a lot deeper than knowing what color to choose,
word to use or how to choose a reed. If there
were an easy answer I would be glad to share it.
Do you have any suggestions?
Thanks you, Michael A.
Woof Woof, Mike. Some things can be learned, like ‘sit’ and ‘stay’. Simple things that anyone can do if they just listen. And practice! A lot!
People aren’t so inclined to want to put in the long hours to learn to do complicated things. I suspect you don’t want to tell them the truth about how long you practice to create a feather.
And if they don’t have the instinct for these things they will never learn. Instinct comes from some place deep inside. I have heard it called ‘heart.’
When people make some comment about how I know it is time for my person to sit down and rest I can’t explain.
I look at them with my big brown eyes and smile. (You don’t see it because it is behind my flappy lips.)
You might try smiling the next time someone asks a question about your ‘instinct’. Be sure to look them directly in the eye—and be grateful for lips.
Be sure to tell me where to send more of Dekker’s posts,
as well as other posts from The ReflectivePen
