A Tale of Two Dogs

It amazes me just how much love dogs can show their owners. I have had the pleasure of having four of them in my life. Each time one passes on, I vow never to get another one. Somehow there always seems to be room in my life for another.

My first dog was given to me as a combined birthday and Christmas present. As usual, he was not any sort of breed, but he sure was special. I named him Hekkla, after a volcano in Iceland.

I thought I had found the ultimate unique name in dogdom, until we were watching something from Disney about a dog. Sure enough, the man in the film started crying out, “Hekkla,” at which my pup gave a confused look at the television.

While Hekkla was the perfect dog for me, I was not the perfect master. Being my first dog, just like parents with their first children, I made a lot of mistakes. Combine that with living in a small house with plenty of people in it and you have a recipe for a lot of tension.

At times I was not so kind to this dog. Still, he repaid me with love. He was very obedient and loyal. He would trot by my side without a leash and did every command that I asked.

Unfortunately, I was not there when he died. He was staying with friends on a farm while I was on vacation. Something was wrong before I left, though. He had a bit of trouble getting into the car when I tried to take him there.

Many years later, I got Sarah, who many of you may have read about on this blog. With Sarah, discipline had to be gentle and loving. She had been abused and any sign of cruelty would only make the situation worse.

Like Hekkla, Sarah did all the same commands. She also heeled without a leash. One other thing she did that Hekkla didn’t do was to sit outside a store and wait for me without being tied up. I attribute that more to living in England than any expert training that I do.

So, we have two dogs that loved me so much and were pretty much the same in obedience.

There was a huge difference. It was a lesson that I learned well.

Hekkla obeyed me out of fear for what might happen if he did wrong. Sarah obeyed me out of love. She wanted to do everything possible to please me. The result was a bond that was closer than the one with fear. It had nothing to do with the dog. Both were prepared to love me unconditionally. It had everything to do with the attitude that I brought to the relationship.

Since this great revelation, I have tried to apply this principle to my life. It all fits in with the belief that love never fails and that there is no fear in love.