LESSONS FROM A DOG

From Coach Kopp:  This blog post might be perceived as cheesy, because I'm writing about lessons that can be learned from a dog, but we're writing it anyway!  This isn't in the same league as Marley and Me, but sometimes I thought our dog was really Marley, so at least there's a comparison there.  We recently put our long-time family dog to sleep, which was difficult and emotional, but as everyone knows, is part of having a pet.  Her name was Heidi, and she was a German Shorthair.  As I reflect on Heidi's time with us, I am reminded of five lessons that Heidi taught me, and I hope to improve these five aspects of my life, thanks to Heidi, and maybe you could take something from these lessons as well:

1.  Patience--Heidi was an extremely patient dog with our three young children (pictured above).  She allowed them to climb all over her without so much as a groan (although she would cast a long glance our direction, as if to say, "Get them off me," or "I don't want to wear this").  This dog's patience around our kids was amazing and won't be forgotten.

2.  Loyalty--Whenever I would return home late at night from a basketball game, Heidi was always there, win or lose, and often times she'd be the only one that was still awake and there to greet me.  She didn't care whether or not we won a big game or lost a heartbreaker (because she was a dog).  She was loyal no matter what.  Also, no matter how upset we we were when she would get into some mischief, she always remained loyal and loving.

3.  The Grass is Not Always Greener--As Heidi grew older, and as her health declined, we would talk about other breeds of dogs and what kind of dog we wanted to get after she was gone, not fully realizing how great of a family dog we had at the time.  Now that she's gone, we realize just how wonderful of a dog she was to our family and how much we miss her.  The grass might always seem greener on the other side, but that's not always the case...and sometimes you don't realize how great something was until it's gone.

4.  Empathy and Understanding for Others--Heidi had Cushing's Disease, which affected many things in her life, all of them out of her control.  As pet owners, it was important to empathize and understand what was going on with her.  In life, we need to show empathy towards others and understanding, especially when things are out of someone's control.

5.  Take a Good Nap--Heidi loved to take naps.  In fact, the latter stages of her life revolved around napping for long periods of time.  Never pass up the opportunity for a good nap.

These are the lessons that I will remember about Heidi, and I hope to improve on these lessons in my own life, thanks to my time with Heidi.  Our family dog is gone, but she's definitely not forgotten!