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What
is an Obedience Title (the one your
put on your dog yourself)
by
Sandy Mowery
Not just a brag, not just a stepping stone to a higher Title,
not just an adjunct to competitive scores.
A Title is a tribute to the dog that bears it, a way to honour
the dog, an ultimate memorial. It will remain in the record and
in the memory for about as long as anything in this world can
remain. Few humans will do as well or better in that regard.
Although the dog himself doesn't know or care that his
achievements have been noted, a Title says many things in the
world of humans, where such things count. A Title says your dog
was intelligent, and adaptable, and good-natured. It says that
your dog loved you enough to do the things that please you,
however crazy they may have sometimes seemed! A Title says that
you loved your dog, that you loved to spend time with him
because he was a good dog, and that you believed in him enough
to give him yet another chance when he failed, and that in the
end your faith was justified.
A Title proves that your dog inspired you to have the special
relationship enjoyed by so few; that in a world of disposable
creatures, this dog with a Title was greatly loved, and loved
greatly in return. And when that dear short life is over, the
Title remains as a memorial of the finest kind, the best you can
give to a deserving friend, volumes of praise in one small set
of initials before or after the name. A Title is nothing less
than love and respect, given and received permanently.
~Submitted by
Sandy
Mowery
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