Two of the greatest teachers in my life are my children. There is no doubt in my
mind that parenting has taught me more than any other life experience. My lovely
daughter offered a lesson today on the way home from school.
Every conscious man who has ever raised a daughter can testify to a special bond
between himself and "daddy's girl". This idol status can be amusing, but one has
to be careful when they know they are on a pedestal. It takes a lot to foul up,
but when you do it is more critical than if you were just an ordinary guy. Today
my status suffered a slight stumble.
We have two dogs. We took in both, mixed breed dogs, after they were abandoned
in the country.
We live at the intersection of country and city. Horses and cows in two
directions; new subdivisions in the other two. Thousands of acres of woods and
farmland are within walking distance replete with ponds and streams. This area
is rich with Deer, Wild Turkey, Raccoon, Possum, Skunks, and many other
creatures. It would be a doggy paradise except for little things like leash
laws.
Both of our dogs constantly yearn to run and will do so at any given
opportunity. I have to keep them chained, even though my yard is fenced, so that
I do not have to pay any fines for recovering them from the city pound.
Overcoming the minor obstacle of the fence has never been a real challenge for
either of our dogs.
This morning I made the silly mistake of waiting until the last possible minute
to put the dogs out. As I was walking the first one out, the second busted past
me in a surprisingly slick move and she was gone.
I called for her to return, but she had travelling on her mind and although she
paused to acknowledge hearing me, she chose to ignore my commands and headed off
for a day of frolic. (One day I would love to attach a mini cam just to see what
she gets into, on a full day run.)
Despite my best efforts at calm and peacefulness, having a dog disobey me, (the
supposed master), did not contribute to my positive mental attitude.
I went about my business but I said goodbye to the dog; telling it through
mental telepathy that I would not bail her out if the puppy patrol put her away.
If she received my signal, she revealed no confirmation.
Anyway, when I picked my daughter up from school I just happened to mention that
Cady might be missing once we got home. Now a sensible man would have stopped
there, but it was my day to chisel away at my imaginary pedestal so I added this
goofy statement. "I'll tell you this! If she has been impounded by the K9 cops,
I will not be paying her fines this time."
"Why not?" My daughter demanded. "Is it just the money?"
"Well, partially it’s the money. It will be $ 65.00 plus a fine for not having
registered the dog. Probably over a hundred before all is said and done. But
mostly it is because I am angry with her." I insisted. "I will not keep a
disobedient dog, period!"
Well I noticed that my adoring daughter had her head turned away from me and had
not said a single word for over 5 minutes. So, I asked, "Are you mad at me?"
"Yes, I am." She replied now looking at me with tears streaming down her face.
"Why does this upset you so much?" I wondered out loud. "Cady obviously does not
care for her living arrangements here or she would not run off every time she
has a chance, would she?" I cleverly remarked.
I have never noticed my daughter spending much time with this dog, so I could
not imagine that the thought of losing her would be so painful. In my mind I
have given Cady a nice home, complete with an abundance of food, good water, and
even her own doggy bed for over two years now. If she is silly enough to leave
all that behind for a few minutes of chasing some neighbors cows or barking at
penned-up doggies, then "see you later gal" is my attitude.
"You still haven't answered me love?" I repeated with the question implied.
In a warm and tender moment that brings tears to my eyes as I write this, my
daughter said, "Dad, you just don't understand. If Cady is at the pound, no one
will adopt her. Who would pick her? She is three years old and not even
housebroken. She is not even pretty like Casey. No one would pick her and that
means they will kill her."
Then I remembered that the only reason I kept the dog in the first place was
because we could not find a home for her and did not want her to be destroyed by
Animal Control. My heart softened. I felt sad for having been so calloused.
As we pulled into the driveway, there stood Cady in the back yard, tail wagging
and ready for some supper.
I have resolved to repair my fence in an effort to prevent any future escapes.
Mostly, however, I am determined to consider my daughter's feelings with a
little more compassion before spouting some anger-based dribble.
Children are such incredible teachers. Thank You Father, for mine!
Elliott Teters copyright 2003
teters@planetkc.com
My name is Elliott Teters. I live in Kansas City, Kansas. I am happily married
and blessed to be the father of two incredible children. I sell real estate to
pay the bills and I write for fun. I would love to hear your comments!
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