Beech Tree News Network

Twice, on Thursday night, at near midnight, I chased my beagle around the front yard with a flyswatter—in my pajamas, barefoot, and in the rain.  He was howling at something in the nearby pasture, something that wasn’t supposed to be there, probably a coyote.  Twice, he started howling again as the front door closed behind him.  He had chosen to howl from the front porch for two reasons, I supposed: one, it was dry; two, the acoustics reverberated the sound in such a way as to make his howl multiply in ferocity.  It was after the second chase round the front yard, I realized my efforts were in vain, so I dug out the ear plugs I used last summer while mowing the yard and went back to bed.  Dogs have taught me many things throughout my life, the most impressive has been the importance of persistence.  If a dog goes after something he feels passionate about, I challenge you to turn him back.
    My friends, Greg and Renee, have a little Boston terrier, named Joe, who is one of these persistent little souls.  Greg loves to jerk Joe around by throwing bigger and bigger sticks for him to fetch.  He’ll work his way up to tree limbs, and Joe will keep bringing them back, even if he has to drag them. (One of Greg’s favorite ways to befuddle the little dog is to throw snowballs into the snow, and watch Joe go nuts trying to find them.) 
One night, Joe had retired at his usual bed time, but he woke Renee up a couple of hours later because he wanted outside.  Renee let him out and waited patiently until he was ready to come back in.  She went back to bed only to be woken by Joe again an hour later.  Again, she let him out and waited for him to come back in.  He was panting this time when he climbed upon the porch and went through the front door.  Renee was starting to become concerned.  She made sure her little dog was settled and went back to bed. Joe kept waking Renee periodically throughout the night, and when daylight came, Renee went outside with Joe.  There, at the edge of the yard, was a large ham someone in the neighborhood had thrown out.  Joe had been dragging the big chunk of meat up the hill and toward his yard all night long.  Joe was determined to succeed and his persistence paid off.
    Have you seen the video on YouTube entitled, “Cats Steeling Dogs’ Beds?”  It’s great!  You know how cats are, they believe they’re entitled.  In the video, dogs twice their size bark at, howl at, and even drag their beds around with cats going along for the ride.  Some of the dogs are able to turn the beds over, dumping the cats onto the floor.  Others take the approach of compromise—a type of persistence in itself—and root the cats to one side in order to share the bed with them. 
    Dogs are one of God’s best inventions.  They know how to stick with it, and they are loving and forgiving.  My little Beagle greeted me the morning after I chased him around the yard, with a wagging tail and a lick to my face.  I was touched, but I still keep the flyswatter handy.  I really hate being woken from a good sleep.