July/August 2010 - Dogs Naturally Magazine

‘Intelligence’, ‘enthusiasm’ and
‘companion’ are words which sum Edward
up. We talked with each other all
of the time; he was one of those dogs
who was everywhere we were, in the
middle of the action and directing
events. One of his specialities was in
dealing with people who didn’t like
dogs. He had a way of demonstrating
to them that dogs aren’t just dogs –
they are people. He also had a way of
showing them that they weren’t just
humans – they were beings of light
who were worthy of great love.
“There is a deep wisdom in the
animal kingdom that you can
tune into if you have the humility
to listen. If you think they’re
just animals who ought to follow
our commands, think again. If
you listen to a dog, they can tell
you how to grow and evolve as a
human being. “
When my husband Rob and I got together,
Edward quickly showed him
that Golden Retrievers are just as wonderful
as the German Shepherds that
Rob was used to. Edward soon became
Rob’s best friend, and accompanied
him into the garden to play football and
to help Rob with the gardening. Edward
was the sort of dog who thought
everything was fun; he’d turn the mundane
into the happiest adventure.
Rob and I were on our way home from
teaching an Animal Communicating
and EFT course a few summers ago,
when we had a call from Rob’s Mum.
Mum had been doggie sitting for us. So
we were driving home, and the cell
phone rang. Mum had fallen in the garden
and knocked herself out. She was
naturally shaken, but she was also in
awe. Apparently, she was lying unconscious
on the lawn and, as she came
round, she felt Edward licking her face.
There was blood everywhere, and Edward
was cleaning her up and resuscitating
her.
Too frightened to stand up lest she lose
her balance again, Mum got herself
back indoors by shuffling on her bot-
tom. Edward went with her all the
way, keeping her going, tending to her
lovingly, kissing her face.
Mum sent Edward a thank you card. It
may not have meant much to him –
dogs don’t read cards after all – but it
meant the world to Mum. She felt that
Edward had saved her life. He may
have been ‘just a dog’ but I’m certain
that he felt the love and gratitude coming
his way.
I read somewhere that a dog’s memory
extends to only ten minutes. I don’t
know the name of the twit who wrote
that, but he was surely wrong. During
our next weekend trip, Edward refused
to go into the garden unless Mum was
with him, and when she did go out, he
escorted her at every step. He was a
kind and loving dog, a healer, and his
will was set upon ensuring Mum’s
safety.
I also had deep respect for the way Edward
dealt with other dogs. Rob, Edward
and I had a hard year last year.
Dannie and Gwinnie died, and we were
all heartbroken. So we decided to
bring someone else into the house who
we could love and care for. This was
Georgie, a tiny Papillion who, we were
told, didn’t like men and who bit. It
soon became apparent that this wasn’t
a behavioural problem, though. Georgie
has a form of epilepsy. The world is
a confusing place for him, so if you put
your hand out to him or touch him, he
trips into a spin and snarls and attacks
himself. I feel so sorry for the people
who rehomed him, who just thought he
was a bad boy. He is, in reality, an absolute
joy, and incredibly worthy of
love.
For the first weeks of living with Georgie,
we wondered what on earth we
were going to do. We couldn’t touch
him. We couldn’t cuddle or stroke him;
we couldn’t get a lead on without triggering
an episode.
If we did get it on, we couldn’t get it off.
How were we going to care for him?
How could we expect a vet to sew up a
cut paw, or take blood, or feel him for
lumps?
But Edward didn’t mind. He treated
Georgie like a normal dog, and made
him feel safe. He wasn’t frightened of
being bitten, either. He just went in
there and let George know it was safe
to be near him, and he ignored it if the
little man went into a spin. Edward
also stood and shared our emotions
Freddie and Ruby
www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com July/August 2010 | 17