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| Name: |
Emma
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Age: |
Sixteen months old
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| Gender: |
Female |
Breed: |
Chocolate Labrador
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| Home: |
Ashland, Oregon, USA |
Emma
is special in two ways: her innate specialness and what she has
brought into our lives.
As to the first, she is a quirky girl. She's about sixteen months, but
that is a bit of an educated guess. We are Emma's second family. We know
something about her first family, but there is much we do not know. We
think we have figured out that she lived with cats. Emma not only wants to
meet every cat she sees, she sometimes rubs against our legs. She is
friendly in other ways, too. She has made friends with ponies and sheep in
our neighborhood. Though a fence separates them, Emma tries to play with
the sheep, and they with her. They have taught Emma to eat grass, which
they do together on their different sides of the fence. While on a walk,
she constantly watches cars in the hope that one will park so she can meet
the driver. That is a friendly dog.
Emma can be a bit lazy at the dog park. She'll retrieve the ball properly
when given a treat, but not otherwise. She'd just as soon lie on the ball
in the shade after a few tosses. It seems that after a bit of running and
some meeting and greeting, our girl is content to just enjoy being
outdoors with the sights, sounds, and smells that are there.
Emma is a food-hound, of course, but she is always grateful. She thanks us
after meals by rubbing against our legs and playing. She is not as
naturally clingy or affectionate as many other dogs, we think that largely
comes from being raised outdoors with another dog for a companion, but the
affection she has for us comes out in other ways such as the time Emma and
her human Mom were out for a walk. They ran into her human Dad who was on
his way to the library to do some research. When Dad disappeared into the
building, Emma sat on the corner and would not budge except in the
direction of the library. After several minutes, she finally seemed
willing to go since Mom wore her out with urging, but smart girl that she
is Emma tried to lead her Mom completely around the block to the same
corner opposite the library. When Dad takes Emma for a walk and Mom is at
home, Emma often tries to go back for Mom. She seems to feel love deeply,
but not in a licking and petting way.
Having our first dog since becoming adults has been a revelation. What was
all fun for us as children comes with worries and work and cost and
disruption as adults, but it also comes with Emma's affection, her
playfulness, her superb companionship, and the entertainment of having a
creature who is so wonderfully different living with us. We benefit from
the exercise. We take delight in making her happy, often on outdoor
excursions to the dog park or a nearby lake. We take delight in the
responsibilities of having a canine companion. We take delight in her
quirks, her looks, her affection when it shows, and the sneaky way she
gets in bed with us after we are asleep and can't tell her no. Emma has
enhanced our lives and changed them wonderfully. We love her so much.
One other distinctive thing is that Emma has a blog on facebook. She
writes about life from a dog's perspective. On Slogan Saturday, she takes
a proverb and writes about how dogs understand that idea. An example is:
TO EAT?
To eat, or not to eat?
Come on, is that really a question?
Emma will not let us read her blog, something about her right to privacy,
but the people who read it seem to like it.
See more images of Emma!
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