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Always walk through life as if you have something new to learn and you will. 

Holly had a school day, in more ways than one.  She was at DeeAnn’s house most of the morning and when I picked her up DeeAnn was eager to show me what Holly had learned during the morning. Little 10 week old Holly fairly consistently complied and showed off a sit, down and shake-a-paw.  Holly was pleasantly rewarded with treats and praise; and we were rewarded by her success.  Holly & I are both blessed to have DeeAnn in Holly’s world. DeeAnn is an experienced, passionate and compassionate dog trainer with an affection towards puppy training.  Holly (and I) will be well schooled.

I had an errand to run this afternoon so loaded Holly up in Ruby (my red car) and not more than a block from the house I saw a lady leading six children down the sidewalk.  I debated but made a sudden, random decision to stop.  I’ve been fretting about how Holly will be socialized with small children.  The small children in my world live five hours away.  I approached the lady and explained I had a puppy and was in need of children.  She understood instantly and called the kids together while I got Holly.  Then, to me,  something magical happened.  The kids sat on the snowy sidewalk in a half moon shape, like it was a library floor during storytime.  A wiggling and tail wagging Holly approached each one of the kids, going right down the line not missing a child and giving each one its own undivided attention.  It was if she was making certain each one had equal time with her.   While watching her bring out smiles, I listened and fielded questions.  What’s her name?  Why that name?  How much does she weigh?  How old is she?  What kind of dog is she? What does she eat?  These were not conversational pieces, these were questions driven by sincere interest. They listened and as their interest in Holly was satisfied, the conversation led to their experiences with dogs.  I listened and some had their own dog, some had grandparents with dogs, some had cats, and so it goes. When it was time to leave, I was invited to visit at Congdon Elementary anytime I wished – I’m sure that meant with Holly accompanying me!  Holly & I left feeling good about the encounter and a part of feeling good about it was that we (actually Holly) made a kid’s day.  They went home with a story about holding, petting and smelling puppy breath while on their walk that day.

It was a day of schooling and school children – a good day for the both of us.  Learning makes for a good day, so does listening.