I’m going to admit, I grew up with cats as pets, and I never really liked dogs.

Especially small dogs – the ankle biters, jittery bug eyed, yapping, jumping sort of dog.

Any dog that would run at me off a leash was annoying. I just didn’t understand the fascination with dogs.

Then, seven years ago, I got my Australian Shepherd. I went to class with her, from puppy all the way up through CGC – Canine Good Citizen.

Soon, I was seeing dogs that behaved themselves. I was around dogs that didn’t jump, bark, nip, or run at me – and I liked them. In fact, I became a dog lover.

I drew the obvious parallel. I love children – but the ones who are not trained, I find highly annoying. The ones who run wild in real restaurants, who scream and fight in the narthex of the church while their parents stand by, ignoring them. Kids aren’t born with manners – they are taught and they learn by example. Without guidance, they behave like wild animals, and we all suffer. Before anyone objects, I raised three children, and they have manners, behave kindly towards others, and have grown into responsible adults.

We have recently rescued a German Shepherd who was dumped in a kill shelter night drop box. She is a handful – and certainly has not had training. Just in the short time we have had her, we have seen improvement in her behavior…due to training. She has a long way to go, but having a pet is a lifelong commitment for that animal. Understanding that, we will love her…and train her. It takes a balance of both.

We don’t need any more wild animals running around.