A Dog’s Last Lesson

A First Job—and a First Lesson

My first job working with dogs was at a dog daycare on the Upper East Side in Manhattan. It was a cage free dog care facility meaning, whether boarding or just there for the day, the dogs had free range of the dog run. On any given day, we would see anywhere from 50-70 dogs. Dogs were separated by size. However, if you were a big dog on the outside,but felt little on the inside, you got to hang with the smalls. And if you were a French Bulldog, you automatically got to hang with the bigs! One dog that came everyday for daycare and boarded regularly was a senior Golden Retriever named Victoria.

Meeting Victoria

Victoria was your classic Golden. Gentle demeanor, loved people, and got along superbly well with her canine companions. When I met Victoria, she was 13yo. One of our oldest residents, we took special care of her. Particularly inside the dog run, making sure the other dogs respected her fragility. However, what I quickly came to learn was that, although she was old and walked a little slower than the others, Victoria did not see herself as ‘old’. And therefore did not present herself as fragile…to anyone!

The Quiet Authority of Presence

Everyday when Victoria arrived, she trotted to the daycare employee who had the joy of walking her back into the dog run. When dogs were let into the dog run, they first waited in a little fenced-in area before being granted entry into the dog run. You could tell a lot about a dog by how they were greeted when they were put onto the ‘loading dock’ as I called it. A nervous dog was barked at by his comrades. A dog with intense energy was met with mixed emotions. But Victoria? Even though she was old, when she was put on the loading dock, no one barked. Some dogs trotted up calmly to the fence to get a better sniff, but most just minded their own business. And when Victoria was allowed in, no one bugged her. She would immediately pee on the floor (let’s face it, dog daycares are basically like one big indoor dog park) as a way of communicating with her fellow daycare friends, and then take her spot along the wall, lay down, and proceed to observe the dogs. Victoria’s space was never challenged.

A Safe Space for Others

The dogs that chose to hang out near Victoria, were the insecure dogs.The Lab mix who was scared of people, the juvenile German Shepherd who needed reigning in, and the puppy who just needed a little moral support as they learned to navigate the world around them.

A Beautiful Goodbye

When Victoria turned 14, she began to slow down significantly and started to have health problems. Although she was very ill, she never let it get her down. Victoria’s owners made the difficult decision to end her pain. But they moved forward with the process in a beautiful way. They allowed Victoria to have a ‘normal’ day. They brought her to her favorite place…dog daycare. When they came to pick her up, we knew we would never see Victoria again. All available employees gathered and we formed two lines. Victoria walked from the dog run to her owners, walking between us, and we each said our own farewell. Our oldest resident was crossing the rainbow bridge, but the memories she was leaving behind would last a lifetime.

The Lesson That Lasts

As someone who was just starting out on her dog training journey, my experience with Victoria taught me more than any book or lecture I would later encounter in dog academics. Victoria was old and frail, but her energy spoke volumes. And the dogs that were attracted to her taught me what dogs who are feeling out of sorts, yearn for: calm leadership. If I can only give that to my dog, or any dog that I work with, I know it will be enough. Because it was enough for Victoria. If a 14yo dog can navigate a dog run of 50 dogs bigger than her and stronger than her, with a variety of behavioral issues, and not be messed with, I am certain then that the first rule of dog training is not in what we say, but in how we present ourselves.

 Love dogs? So do we. Follow @katescaninesllc for training tips, puppy wins, and plenty of tail wags. 

 Instagram: @katescaninesllc 

 Facebook: KateDogTraining 

 Website: katescanines.net #KatesCanines