Question of the Week
Elizabeth Denning
Somerset, Massachusetts
Due to the pandemic, I began searching for webinars and YouTube videos on handling and grooming, and I have learned things I never would have had I been showing – there would have been no time to sit at the computer as I have in the past year!
I have focused on problem areas I had (it is NEVER the dog, as we all know!) and fixed some of them. As a result, my dog is going better and looking better! I am really looking forward to see if I can apply all I learned to the shows when I enter ...
Alice Lawrence
Stafford Springs, Connecticut
With few shows in the Northeast to attend, I have had a lot of time to reflect on many things. I have come to better appreciate people who are my dear friends and to rid myself of the fake friends picked up along the way. With fewer years ahead of me than behind me, I have decided not to waste time on things that don’t matter or people who abuse relationships.
It has been both a reflective and a cathartic year. This year we have experienced several major health issues and a devastating house flood. We celebrated 50 years of being married and of showing and breeding dogs. We lost too many dear people and dogs in our lives this year. Things will never return to the same life we had before the COVID pandemic, but it will be a good life nevertheless.
Michelle Santana
Oregon
It’s made me more GRATEFUL in realizing how much attending dog shows affects my puppies’ temperaments and training, and develops their mental acuity.
Ann Lettis
Staten Island, New York
Since March 13, 2020, when I was sent home from my office in New York City, I've basically been in quarantine, since I'm high risk. While I do understand that some have felt confined and upset over loss of freedom, this has been a relatively peaceful experience for me.
Fortunately, my firm has arranged for us to work from home, which does give me a routine and responsibility during the week. My groceries are delivered, although this was being done long before the pandemic, so other than driving to the bank I'm at home. No longer working in the city, I now have more time to enjoy and catch up on different chores that ordinarily would be ignored. Although it's upsetting to see how awful the crime rate in NYC rises each day, I vent, then let it go to enjoy the peaceful atmosphere in my house. More time to spend with my dog, my desk is by my front window and has become a source of entertainment each day watching the world go by. Never realized that there were so many dog owners in the neighborhood, and it is nice to see the interaction between them and their mostly canine purebreds. The birds and squirrels put on a show each morning, and this is something I never experienced when busy each weekday going into the city. Without even realizing it, seems that stress that normally would have stayed with me no longer does.
Do I miss the shows? Yes, but it is what it is, and have learned to go with the flow; we all have choices, and that's mine. With more time to myself I've communicated more with friends via text, phone and Zoom meetings than I ever could while working in the city. There are days my work can carry over into long hours, but when I have my dog lying on my feet under the desk – well, that's just priceless.
Bottom line, I'm grateful for the peace of mind I'm enjoying, appreciate it, and have faith in His plan.
Lorrie Fedorich
East Hartford, Connecticut
I have fared this pandemic pretty well. Thanks to my faith, and for sure my dogs – I have four Italian Greyhounds, three of them have their championship and one is a Grand Champion. Due to my health I have not shown much in the last two years. With some more medication I should be more pain free and able to start showing again.
Dana Read
Hillsborough, North Carolina
I have become much more aware and thankful for the many blessings I have. Being retired, I do not have to work and put myself in harm's way. I live on a small farm with lots of space, fresh air and wonderful animals that keep me focused and on a schedule. I can afford delivery for the basics for the animals as well as my husband and myself. And with Amazon, grocery-store delivery, Zoom and the internet – we are all so blessed that this pandemic happened now instead of 20 years ago.
I have gained more patience, more tolerance and simply more grateful for the little things in life. All in all, a year of learning!
Dr. Frances O. Smith
Burnsville, Minnesota
My veterinary practice has been the busiest in its history. In addition to record numbers of clients, we are seeing huge behavioral changes in our canine and feline patients. Anxiety, fear and aggression are seen on a daily basis due to the failure of clients to research and get a well- bred dog or cat, and due to the decreased socialization and training these new pets receive. Fortunately, our breeder clients are doing a masterful job and are a pleasure to work with. Our practice has been open throughout COVID in our usual format – NOT CURBSIDE OR DROPOFF.
Catherine Romaine Brown
As a dog lover and chair of the Jack Russell Terrier Club of America, I have missed events with other dog lovers of many venues. I feel badly for my dogs, which, like my husband and I, felt cabin fever and social isolation. I am sure you will hear this over and over.
Now we can train again for agility and other dog action fun. As difficult as it is to run agility in a mask, it makes one work a bit harder to communicate perfectly with our dogs.
On the up side, not one cold hit home this winter and no flu to our family.