No Other Way To Be

Today is January 18th, exactly one year ago I had arrived at Letty's house for the first time and was greeted by two tiny balls of fluff. Within seconds I knew that I would be taking Knight home. As soon as I opened the door he did that squiggly little dance that papillons do and happily hopped around my feet before rushing over to prove his friendliness to my mom.

I was mesmorized by his intense focus even as a 3 month old puppy. He'd go and play with Skeeter and his brother, but as soon as I called his name and wiggled my fingers on the ground he'd come rushing over. He was the perfect opposite of Lilly, like two sides of the same coin. While Lilly will gladly accept belly rubs and petting, she very much prefers to keep her feet on the ground. Knight came bounding up into my arms, excited to be held in any way as long as he was as close to my face as possible.

The thing that really caught my eye about Knight was the way he looked at me. I've never had a dog look at me, and I mean really look at me, in that way before. Lilly and I will make eye contact, but it's never for a very long period of time. Just a quick flash of understanding before she continues to watch the way I move. Knight was just so intent to meet my gaze whenever he could. Such a bright and intelligent stare that I just couldn't ignore. He was fasinated with everything I did, filled with such curiousity. He'd be that kid in kindergarden that was always asking, "but why?". Why can't I go into the Fridge? That's were all the yummy stuff is! "Why are you making your sandwhich way up there? I can't see!" "Why don't you just let me steal that food out of your mouth?"

In the conformation world, a common frase is "There's no such thing as a perfect dog" and while that may be true for structure, it's certainly not true as a whole. Knight is perfect for me. Just like Lilly is, they're my kind of perfection. Lilly was exactly what I needed to get into the sport of dog agility. She introduced me to shaping, taught me how to harness drive, how to build confidence from the ground up, how "starting all over" isn't really a bad thing, and that sometimes things get worse before they get better.

Knight picks up right were Lilly left off. He's ready to be shaped, he's got the drive, I just need to direct it, He bring so much enthusiasim with everything he does. Both Lilly and Knight continue to teach me new things every day, I wouldn't have it any other way.

Exactly one year ago I fell asleep with my hand dangling off my bed so I could reach into a crate and assure my self the day had indeed happened. Tonight, I'll go to bed with my little man curled up tight against me under the covers, assuring me this past year hasn't been a dream.