10 Commandments
I have posted this before but I think it should always be seen. Can we make it a sticky? I think it is a touching reminder to all!
Ten Commandments for a responsible pet owner:
1. My life is likely to last 10-15 years. Any separation from you will be very painful.
2. Give me time to understand what you want from me.
3. Place your trust in me, it is crucial for my well being.
4. Don't be angry with me for long and don't lock me up as punishment. You have your work, your friends, your entertainment. I have only you.
5. Talk to me even if I don't understand your words. I understand your voice and when it's speaking.
6. Be aware that however you treat me, I'll never forget it.
7. Before you hit me, remember I have teeth that could easily crush the bones in your hand, but I choose not to bite you, because I love you.
8. Before you scold me for being lazy or uncooperative, ask yourself if something might be bothering me. Perhaps I'm not getting the
right food; I've been out in the sun too long; or my heart may be
getting old and weak.
9. Take care of me when I get old. You too will grow old.
10. Go with me on difficult journeys. Never say, "I can't bear to watch it" or, "Let it happen in my absence." Everything is easier for me if you are there. Remember, I Love You.
Ten Commandments for a responsible pet owner:
1. My life is likely to last 10-15 years. Any separation from you will be very painful.
2. Give me time to understand what you want from me.
3. Place your trust in me, it is crucial for my well being.
4. Don't be angry with me for long and don't lock me up as punishment. You have your work, your friends, your entertainment. I have only you.
5. Talk to me even if I don't understand your words. I understand your voice and when it's speaking.
6. Be aware that however you treat me, I'll never forget it.
7. Before you hit me, remember I have teeth that could easily crush the bones in your hand, but I choose not to bite you, because I love you.
8. Before you scold me for being lazy or uncooperative, ask yourself if something might be bothering me. Perhaps I'm not getting the
right food; I've been out in the sun too long; or my heart may be
getting old and weak.
9. Take care of me when I get old. You too will grow old.
10. Go with me on difficult journeys. Never say, "I can't bear to watch it" or, "Let it happen in my absence." Everything is easier for me if you are there. Remember, I Love You.
Comments
HERE IN THIS HOUSE....
Here in this house......
I will never know the loneliness I hear in the barks of the other dogs 'out there'.
I can sleep soundly, assured that when I wake my world will not have changed.
I will never know hunger, or the fear of not knowing if I'll eat.
I will not shiver in the cold, or grow weary from the heat.
I will feel the sun's heat, and the rain's coolness,and be allowed to smell all that can reach my nose.
My fur will shine, and never be dirty or matted.
Here in this house...
There will be an effort to communicate with me on my level.
I will be talked to and, even if I don't understand,I can enjoy the warmth of the words.
I will be given a name so that I may know who I am among many.
My name will be used in joy, and I will love the sound of it!
Here in this house...
I will never be a substitute for anything I am not.
I will never be used to improve peoples' images of themselves.
I will be loved because I am who I am, not someone's idea of who I should be.
I will never suffer for someone's anger, impatience, or stupidity.
I will be taught all the things I need to know to be loved by all.
If I do not learn my lessons well, they will look to my teacher for blame.
Here in this house...
I can trust arms that hold, hands that touch...knowing that, no matter what they do, they do it for the good of me.
If I am ill, I will be doctored.
If scared, I will be calmed.
If sad, I will be cheered.
No matter what I look like, I will be considered beautiful and thought to be of value.
I will never be cast out because I am too old, too ill, too unruly, or not cute enough.
My life is a responsibility, and not an afterthought.
I will learn that humans can almost, sometimes, be as kind and as fair as dogs.
Here in this house...
I will belong.
I will be home.
~unknown~
cool?
----
Sounds like a good idea Brad.
What an awesome thread
my other ears that hear above the winds.
He is the part of me that can reach out into the sea.
He has told me a thousand times over that I am his reason for being:
by the way he rests against my leg;
by the way he thumps his tail at my smallest smile;
by the way he shows his hurt when I leave without taking him.
(I think it makes him sick with worry when he is not along to care for me.)
When I am wrong, he is delighted to forgive.
When I am angry, he clowns to make me smile.
When I am happy, he is joy unbounded.
When I am a fool, he ignores it.
When I succeed, he brags.
Without him, I am only another man. With him,I am all-powerful.
He is loyalty itself.
He has taught me the meaning of devotion.
With him, I know a secret comfort and a private peace.
He has brought me understanding where before I was ignorant.
His head on my knee can heal my human hurts.
His presence by my side is protection against
my fears of dark and unknown things.
He has promised to wait for me...whenever...wherever--in case I need him.
And I expect I will--as I always have.
He is just my dog.
--- Gene Hill ---
It's Tribute to Boatswain by Byron. Since I was a kid, I've been amazed by his description of Boatswain. Any human worthy of those words would be a very lucky person, I have to agree with Byron.
here goes
Near this spot
Are deposited the Remains of one
Who possessed Beauty without Vanity,
Strength without Insolence,
Courage without Ferocity,
And all the Virtues of Man without his Vices.
This Praise, which would be unmeaning Flattery
If inscribed over human ashes,
Is but a just tribute to the Memory of
BOATSWAIN, a DOG
Who was born at Newfoundland, May, 1803,
And died at Newstead, Nov 18th, 1808.
When some proud son of man returns to earth,
Unknown to glory, but upheld by birth,
The sculptor's art exhausts the pomp of woe,
And storied urns record who rest below:
When all is done, upon the tomb is seen,
Not what he was, but what he should have been:
But the poor dog, in life the firmest friend,
The first to welcome, foremost to defend,
Whose honest heart is still his master's own,
Who labours, fights, lives, breathes for him alone,
Unhonour'd falls, unnoticed all his worth,
Denied in heaven the soul he held on earth:
While man, vain insect! hopes to be forgiven,
And claims himself a sole exclusive heaven.
Oh man! thou feeble tenant of an hour,
Debased by slavery, or corrupt by power,
Who knows thee well must quit thee with disgust,
Degraded mass of animated dust!
Thy love is lust, thy friendship all a cheat,
Thy smiles hypocrisy, thy words deceit!
By nature vile, ennobled but by name,
Each kindred brute might bid thee blush for shame.
Ye! who perchance behold this simple urn,
Pass on --- it honours none you wish to mourn:
To mark a friend's remains these stones arise;
I never knew but one, --- and here he lies.