Giving thanks for my steadfast friends

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I’m grateful, beyond what words can express, for the companionship and health of my near-perfect “heart dog” Otto, a six-year-old scruffy mixed breed. Our early years together were a challenge but worth the effort, and I count on him to behave well in all sorts of circumstances and he *almost* never lets me down. He always seems to know when I need to take a break from the computer for dog hugs and petting, and when I need to take a break from the office for a mind-clearing, heart-opening walk in the woods – and he knows exactly how get me to comply with either recommendation. He helps me train the various foster dogs and dogs who belong to friends who are having trouble with said dogs, and guides all of them forward on the trail, and unfailingly, back to me when I call.

I’m also grateful for little Tito, the Chihuahua my husband and I agreed to care for, “for just a little while,” a couple of years ago. He came to us too-skinny and hand-shy, quick to growl menacingly if he perceived a threat. At 10 pounds, he couldn’t possibly defend himself in any meaningful way against humans who meant him harm, but he wasn’t going to go down without a fight. Today, most of that behavior is gone, replaced by a quirky, funny, happy little dude who greets everyone he meets like people he knows. . . and if he HAS met you before, you get the “OH MY GOD I AM SO HAPPY TO SEE YOU AGAIN!” treatment. He loves tennis balls and swimming more than your average Labrador, and can hold his own on any cross-country hike that can deflate much bigger and more athletic dogs. Despite the fact that he knows only one behavior reliably (“Sit”), he blends in and behaves so well that we tend to think of him as well-trained.

Tell us about the dogs you are grateful for this Thanksgiving week!

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Nancy Kerns has edited horse and dog magazines since graduating the San Francisco State University Journalism program in 1990. The founding editor of Whole Dog Journal in 1998, Nancy regularly attends cutting-edge dog-training conferences including those for the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants, Pet Professional Guild, Association of Professional Dog Trainers, and Clicker Expo. To stay on top of industry developments, she also attends pet industry trade shows such as Global Pet and SuperZoo, educational conferences of the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association and Pet Food Industry’s Pet Food Forum. As a regular volunteer for her local animal shelter, the Northwest SPCA in Oroville, CA, she fosters large litters of puppies and helps train wayward adolescent dogs in order to increase their chances of adoption. Nancy shares her life with her husband and two canine alumni of the NWSPCA, mixed-breed Otto (whose adorably fuzzy visage was incorporated into WDJ’s masthead some years ago) and Pit/Lab-mix Woody.