I usually avoid gushy stories and I normally despise “forwards”, but being a dog lover and considering this one came from my wife, I read it.

It broke my heart when my two dobermans Kahlua and Tasha passed away. I thought I wouldn’t ever get another dog, but then Ben and Geri came along. I know in what I consider a very short time, they will pass on and I will be sad again. The pain is worth it though, because the joy and comfort they bring in their short lifetimes is priceless. I’m not putting this story up to suggest those who read it should live by this creed. I’m posting it as testimony to dogs and how much they have given man for over 10,000 years. I love dogs and I always hope I have them in my life.

Here is the story…

Being a veterinarian, I had been called to examine a ten-year-old Irish Wolfhound named Belker. The dog’s owners, Ron, his wife Lisa, and their little boy Shane, were all very attached to Belker and they were hoping for a miracle.

I examined Belker and found he was dying. I told the family we couldn’t do anything for Belker and offered to perform the euthanasia procedure for the old dog in their home.

As we made arrangements, Ron and Lisa told me they thought it would be good for six-year-old Shane to observe the procedure. They felt as though Shane might learn something from the experience

The next day, I felt the familiar catch in my throat as Belker’s family surrounded him. Shane seemed so calm, petting the old dog for the last time, that I wondered if he understood what was going on. Within a few
minutes, Belker slipped peacefully away.

The little boy seemed to accept Belker’s transition without any difficulty or confusion. We sat together for a while after Belker’s death, wondering aloud about the sad fact that animal lives are shorter than human lives. Shane, who had been listening quietly, piped up, “I know why.”

Startled, we all turned to him. What came out of his mouth next stunned me. I’d never heard a more comforting explanation.

He said, “People are born so that they can learn how to live a good life — like loving everybody all the time and being nice, right?” The Six-year-old continued, “Well, dogs already know how to do that, so they don’t have to stay as long.”

Live simply.
Love generously.
Care deeply.
Speak kindly.

Remember, if a dog was the teacher you would learn things like:

• When loved ones come home, always run to greet them.
• Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joyride.
• Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure ecstasy.
• Take naps.
• Stretch before rising.
• Run, romp, and play daily.
• Thrive on attention and let people touch you.
• Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.
• On warm days, stop to lie on your back on the grass.
• On hot days, drink lots of water and lie under a shady tree.
• When you’re happy, dance around and wag your entire body.
• Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.
• Eat with gusto and enthusiasm. Stop when you have had enough.
• Be loyal. Never pretend to be something you’re not.
• If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.
• When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by and nuzzle them gently.

Every time I boot up either one of my Dell laptops, I think about the first time I powered up my Apple iBook. It was a couple of years ago, but I remember it like yesterday. The sleekness of the body and the simplicity of the design made my eyes dilate with desire. Not sexual desire, but the type of desire and excitement you experience when you see a high end sports car or the moment you taste a fine cheese or wine. You know, the kind of feeling that only the finer things in life can elicit. That to me is my iBook when I used it.

My wife has been using it for a couple of years now and I only have the opportunity to use it once in a while. She doesn’t like when technology refuses to work, so it was a natural fit to pass my iBook on to her. That is what you do for the people and things that you love. You do what is best for them. There are many things that my wife is not aware of that the iBook can do, but I don’t feel like there is lost potential in this… There are also a great deal of mundane things that it does which she is not aware of either and I feel that is where the beauty of the design shows itself the most. My wife doesn’t have to be a technophile or understand what a registry is and why it has rotted. She just opens and closes the lid to use the iBook at her whim.

My iBook is aging now, it has scratches, a failing battery, and a new hard drive. There are the newer Intel MacBook models that are forcing it into obsolescence and one day it will be nothing more than a paperweight. Until that day comes it will remain a classy and sleek design that refuses to force the end user to think, like the body doesn’t force us to remember to breath.