Growing Up With Shelties

Josh with Schubert, circa 1992.

When Josh was born, poor Schubert thought he'd been displaced as the Favorite Child for a few days. Once we coaxed him out from under the dining room table, he grew to love Josh, patiently tolerated his antics, and protected him like an older brother.

Josh's first words were actually an attempted bark. He'd do these sharp little inhales and we couldn't figure out what he was doing...thought for a minute he had asthma.

Then he did it right after Schubert barked and we realized it was intentional...Josh was trying to bark!

These two were inseparable, grew up like a pair of brothers. Schubert would give Josh "rides" letting him hang onto his hair while he dragged him around the house. Josh would laugh and clap when Schubert played catch with the tennis ball.

Josh is now a junior in college, but he still insists on having the dogs sleep in his room when he comes home to visit. True puppy love!

Josh and Schubert, circa 2001

All I Really Need to Know About Mothering I Learned From Our Shelties

• Wake everybody up with wet, sloppy kisses.

• Circle the house periodically to make sure your loved ones are all safe and accounted for.

• Go nuts if someone escapes the house without telling you.

• Hoard treats.

• Be gentle.

• Take naps.

• Listen intently (even if you don’t understand a word they’re saying).

• Make sure your bark (an upbeat attention-getter) is worse than your bite (gentle, playful).

• Herd the family into the kitchen for mealtimes and activities.

• Constantly look back over your shoulder to be sure they’re still following you.

• Tolerate LOTS of chaos and silliness.

• Good-naturedly allow everyone in the family to maul you to death

• When somebody wants to be with you, make them the center of your universe.

• Sit vigilantly and show concern when somebody’s sick.

• Run to the door with joy whenever somebody comes home.

• Alert everyone if there’s an unfamiliar intruder.

• Take advantage of every opportunity to snuggle.

• Play with the kids, indoors and out.

• Put up with lots of teasing and hyperactivity.

• Maintain a ready sense of adventure at all times.

• Give loved ones a luxuriant bedtime pedicure. :)

Most important of all:

If people forget about you, ignore you, tease you, leave you out, and maybe even step on your toes...

Love them anyway.