The bond between a dog and her owner

I had just gotten married and we moved into our first home. The neighbors across the street were very friendly and welcoming. They were military and had just gotten married and moved here from New York. They were animal lovers like me and had three dogs. We all became instant friends and began doing things together.

One day, I suggested going to the mall and visiting some of the most popular hang-outs at the mall. I had to let these New Yorkers see what all Georgia had to offer. So we went to the mall and visited some of my favorite places there: The American Cookie Company, Macy's, Wilson's Leather Store, and of course, Pet Land.

Pet Land was always one of my absolute favorite places in the mall to visit. They have puppies, kittens, exotic birds, fish, and reptiles. As soon as you walk in the store, you can see all the puppies and kittens in kennels behind a glass. My eyes instantly locked on this beautiful, buff colored Cocker Spaniel. Ever since I was a little girl, I had always wanted a Cocker Spaniel. I knew no matter what that I would be taking this puppy home today. I didn't have to think about it or ask anyone' permission. I found my baby and she and I were going to do great things together!

It was love at first sight! I immediately asked to see her because I knew I was about to buy her. She was so beautiful and soft! I couldn't believe what I was doing, but I knew it was fate. I asked my friends to hold her while I found the credit card that I could use to pay for this puppy. I bought her and all the necessary supplies that I needed to care for her.

I decided to name her Ginger because her color reminded me of the ginger snap cookies that I loved to eat. I couldn't believe how lucky I was to have stumbled upon this dog that I had dreamed about owning for years.

Training was tough, though! Ginger was so smart and I knew that I needed to train her the right way. I found a dog trainer that was local and signed us up to take her class. Her classes were every Saturday for twenty-six weeks. Ugh....the thought of giving up a Saturday for twenty-six weeks was dreadful, but I knew I needed to do it. That's what a responsible dog owner would do so it needed to be done.

The first Saturday was rough! I didn't know what I was doing and our training didn't go well at all. Ginger was stubborn and determined she was going to to do what she wanted to do. I felt very foolish!

The next couple of Saturdays, we started to see some improvement. We were learning basic things like how to stay, heel, and for Ginger to listen to and follow my commands. Little by little, Ginger started showing progress and so did I. We would practice our new commands and skills throughout the week and then show what all we had both learned on Saturday.

Every Saturday, we would begin class with previous commands and skills that we had learned and then our trainer would teach us something new to practice. Ginger was an intelligent dog and began learning commands very quickly. At times, her stubbornness would show through and we would have to take a break from training and then practice again.

Finally, we had reached the six month mark. The trainer told us that our graduation ceremony would actually be an obstacle course and all of the dogs that had been training would have to compete against each other in this obstacle course. All of the dogs would graduate, but she would offer trophies and money for the top three competitors of the course. I didn't have high hopes for winning anything, but I just wanted to see what Ginger would do when she competed against other dogs.

The day of our ceremony, I was very nervous. When we arrived at the site, there were at least forty other dogs there. I wasn't sure what was going to happen, but I would just follow through with all the commands and skills we had practiced. Each event had points that were awarded and the more points you earned, the greater your chances were of winning one of the top three spots and possibly winning a trophy and some money.

The first event, Ginger and I did it together with flying colors. We went through walking together with her heeling by my side, her following my commands on a sit and stay, her listening to me and running through an obstacle course while being timed on how long it took for her to follow my commands. I had no idea how many points were had earned for each event, but I knew we were doing things together as a team.

Finally, we came to the last event. Ginger had to stay and come at my command. She would be placed at one side of the large room while I had to go to the other side of the room and she would have to wait for the signal to come to me. I wasn't sure how this event was going to turn out. We would be thirty feet apart. She would have to watch me, listen to my command, and follow it. If she watched the other dogs, she might not be able to complete this event. Well, the time came to show what we could do. We were competing against forty other dogs and we were going to show everyone what we had learned throughout this entire experience. For twenty-six weeks, we had practiced all these commands and skills and we were going to make the best out of all that we had learned.

I led Ginger to her spot and I told her to stay. I walked down a long aisle and then stopped to turn around and face her. I stood there and looked at her while she looked at me. Other dogs were leaving their spots and walking towards their owners, but not Ginger. She showed what she had learned all those weeks to stay until she heard my voice say, "Ginger come". At last, we got the signal and I said "Ginger, come". She slowly walked down the aisle to me and I hugged her and praised her. I could not believe this beautiful, intelligent, head strong dog had just performed this last task with dignity and grace. No matter what happened next, I was very proud of her and myself for what all we had accomplished together.

The trainer spoke with other trainers and they tallied up all our points. They got three trophies and three envelopes and walked out to the middle of the building. They got on the microphone and announced that everyone had done an excellent job with their training and now it was time to find out the top three competitors for this graduation obstacle course. They announced the third place winner first. The owner and their dog walked out and accepted their trophy and envelope. Then they called the second place winner. It was Ginger!!! I was so surprised and so happy! I could not believe that we scored that high in all these events. I proudly walked out there with my beautiful dog and accepted our second place trophy and envelope. Then they announced the first place winner. It was a German Shepherd. We were only a couple of points behind them. The owner accepted his trophy and his check. It was a miraculous and rewarding night! I was so proud of Ginger and what all she had learned and that she did everything that was required of her and listened to and followed all my commands.

Charles Yu said "If I could be half the person my dog is, I'd be twice the human I am". Ginger was my saving grace. She had taught me more than I had taught her. She was the light of my life and she showed me how great of a person I could be.