Cynthia L. Copeland - Really Important Stuff My Dog Has Taught Me

Really Important Stuff My Dog Has Taught Me

Cynthia L. Copeland

Workman New York

For the Krause family, who loved Bear as much as we did

Many thanks to my wonderful editor (and fellow dog lover), Margot Herrera, for her insight and ideas, guidance and good humor. She is one of my very favorite people in publishing, and I am always delighted for a chance to work with her. Thanks also to Samantha OBrien for editorial input, Becky Terhune for design, Michael Dimascio and Anne Kerman for photo research, and Amanda Hong for dotting the is and crossing the ts.

Contents

Introduction

I grew up with Dusty, a smart, scrappy border terrier given to my brothers and me by the town librarian, who thought he needed younger playmates. As sweet as he was mischievous, Dusty was the perfect pet for our lively family. Many years later, when I had children of my own, I adopted an energetic mutt from our local shelter. My then-four-year-old daughter, Anya, named him Smokey the BearBear, for short. For eighteen years, Bear embraced life as a country dog: tangling with porcupines, hiking mountain trails, and cooling off in the neighbors pond on sticky summer days. He helped herd the sheep and kept our chickens safe from the coyotes. Although he loved to race alongside my daughter as she rode her bike, he was just as happy sitting in the rowboat watching my son fish. In the winter, he joined us for sledding and pond hockey (planting himself directly in front of me to protect me from the puck).

Dusty with my brothers and me, circa 1968

When the little girl across the street became confined to a wheelchair, Bear assumed the role of her companion and protector. Often, at night, Id have to slip into their house where he had dozed off at her side and lure him back home with a treat. Of course when Id let him out the next morning, hed trot right back over to her. I believe he is as well represented in their family photo albums as he is in ours.

Bear and Anya

Bear was more than just a beloved neighborhood dog; he was a daily reminder of how to live a happy life of gratitude and purpose. He took delight in the most mundane events of every daybasking in a ray of sunshine, the occasional table scrap, a vigorous belly ruband seemed to instinctively know when someone needed his company. We may have taught him to sit and stay and (when he felt so inclined) to roll over, but in the end, what he taught us was of much greater value. I hope you will be inspired by his example and by the special dogs closest to you.