What
is an Obedience Title Really?
by Sandy Mowrey
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 honor 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.
And though 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, 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.
In addition, a title says
that you love 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 in the end your faith was justified.
A title proves that your
dog inspired you to that 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 after
the name.
An obedience title is
nothing less that the true love and respect,
given and received and recorded permanently.
