Nikki The Pomeranian (Click to enlarge)
There’s something about a smiling Pom, isn’t there? No other dog does it as well. Oh, don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love the other breeds and mixes just as much, but the smile, dear reader, the little mouth before the tongue curls, now that’s just plain compelling. They give me that feeling of wanting to just hug ‘em too close and eat ‘em all up…just as one might feel when brushing lips against the cheek of a smooth, soft smiling human baby.
Meet Nikki. In February she turned 8 years old and she still looks like a puppy. Perhaps it’s the natural halo that Pomeranians have. Butter wouldn’t melt in her mouth. She’s a certified companion dog as well! A Canine Good Citizen (CGC). Nikki’s mom used to provide training for others to become CGCs. Though no longer training, Nikki and her mom still visit the infirm to spread joy all around. I’m prompted to talk about good citizenship today because Nikki’s face inspires me.
I mention in many posts the benefit of living with a well-socialized and obedience trained dog. The unintended consequences of this training is better pet photography. Spending the few minutes each day “training” your dog is time well spent, not only for the direct result, but because the actual time spent is one-on-one time with your best friend. They love it. The end of a 5 to 20 minute session is followed by play, and this is like winning the lottery for dogs.
We seem to be in an era of the Cutback. At the same time we’re asked to Give-Back. It might seem as though we’re being stretched and pulled more than is fair. Perhaps. But here we are anyway. We’ve looked at our lives and wondered how we can be better family members and citizens. Most of us have at least one rescued animal in our homes. That is something, for sure. More of us volunteer hours in hospitals, nursing homes, and animal shelters. Some donate money and in-kind services. Some of our children have been raised to understand it is good citizenship to do for others. These are all worthy endeavors and no one is really exempt. I remind all that to follow your heart means to spread the goodness in you to others. That, dear reader, is good citizenship and we celebrate you.
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