Six Words.

*Note: I did not reduce the size of some of the pictures for this post. I apologize for the bits that got cut off.

Patricia McConnell has written some wonderful books on dogs and has been an inspiration to me for the last few years since I discovered her. She has a blog entitled The Other End of the Leash. One of her dogs, Lassie, passed away a few days ago, and so she decided to summarize Lassie's life in six words, similar to Hemingway's challenge to write the shortest story possible. (His was: For Sale. Baby Shoes. Never Worn.)

I have decided to take up this challenge for each of the three dogs who have been a large part of my life.

Murphy:

Childhood companion. Always happy. Ball keeper.



Murphy was my first dog. A golden retriever who was far from perfect, he was still the love of my life as a child. Most of my stories and art revolved around him, and I spent most of my afternoons either taking him for walks or playing with him in our backyard. I'd loved dogs since I understood what one was, worshipped them, and had to wait until I was eight years old before actually having one in my life full-time. All of my play as a child revolved around stuffed dogs, my invisible friend was a dog uncreatively named 'Spot,' and I read as many books on dogs as I could get my little hands on. And when Murphy came into my life, that was it. He only strengthened my love for these wonderful animals. He was big for a golden, 95 pounds and did not have a lot of obedience training, but that didn't matter to me. He was my companion, and I have not forgotten him, even though he has been gone for eight years. Of course, he had that happy golden retreiver personality and a love of tennis balls, so he was always carrying one around. He was my first dog, and is therefore, very special.

Jarod:

Rescue. Agility buddy. Therapy dog. Teacher.





Ah, Jarod. I still can't belive he is gone. I am actually thinking about starting a blog for him where I post all my photos (as I got my first digital camera about the same time I got him and took many wonderful artistic shots of him) and tell stories that may eventually go into a book for myself and my mom, his two favorite people. I miss him dearly. He was my first dog after Murphy, and I think I needed him as much as he needed me. He was a rescue from the shelter, had been there a week, was a stray, and did not approach me when I went by his run. But, looking for a dog that might be similar to a golden retriever in breed character, as he looked mainly like a lab, I took him to the "Get-to-know-you" pen and he soon let me pet him. He came home with me, and helped me get through one of the roughest years of my life. We started agility together and he helped me get hooked on the sport, at least until his hips started to go. He was my therapy dog in that he provided me with something I, who was suffering from extreme anxiety about life, needed to function. He taught me so much about how to teach and communicate with a dog. I feel so grateful that he came into my life. He had to move in with my parents for his last year, and I think he was my Mom's heart dog. He is so sorely missed.

Darwin:

Darwin's is a bit more difficult, as his life has barely begun and we still have so many journeys to make. But I'll give it a try...

Mirth maker. Frisbee catcher. Occasional trouble.



Darwin. Well, I don't think I need to say much about him here, as this entire blog is based around him, but he is my first cardigan welsh corgi, fulfilling a dream I've had for quite some time. I've spent the last day pondering Darwin's six words. His were the hardest to write of the three dogs, as there were so many facets of him to put up here. Other options were: Silly, sunshine boy - to account for his joyful, often humorous approach to life; Love on four legs - because that is what he is to me, Constant companion - as he is at my feet 95% of the time and follows me when I move from place to place, he's only out of eyesight when he's feeling like getting into a little bit of trouble; Dream come true - because he is my first corgi and has fulfilled pretty much all my expectations about him, I do believe that the cardigan is definitely a heart breed of mine now; Ray of sunshine - also came to mind, as he is always happy and ready to go in the morning, giving me the biggest smile as we step out the door for his morning potty and frisbee session (I swear, that smile is a great way to start every day); Future journeys or Learning together are others I could have chosen; and there were others, but those were my top choices.

Suffice it to say, Darwin means a lot to me, and there are a lot of aspects of him I consider important in summing him up. I love his herding instinct, his desire to learn, even when I'm not the clearest in teaching him, the way he can be scooped up because he is not too big of a dog, the way he loves affection and gives affection back, his daily bout of zoomies which are triggered by the oddest things, his talking the classical cardigan language about everything under the sun, the way he needs to take any obstacal such as going around a tree or over something to return to me, even when there was a path free of such things, his stubby legs, his beautiful head, his nice, even gait when he runs, how he is curious about the world, going on adventures with him, having him lay next to me in the car or put his head on my leg when we are sitting on the couch, just having him be there when no one else is around is such a comfort, and every day is better as long as he is a part of it. I honestly could go on, but I think I will stop for now. He is such a wonderful little dog and I love him so very dearly. He has made such an impact on me and we have not even had him a year yet. We have so many things we will do together during his lifetime, and he is teaching me further how to be a better trainer and companion to any dog. I love him.

-Mel, Corgi-keeper

**Darwin photo with frisbee by Diane Hargreaves, all the rest of the photos by me!