Farewell to Lucy; Hello, Bonnie

We were heartbroken to lose Lucy from cancer at the end of January. How we miss this sweet, happy, loyal dog that we enjoyed and loved for 11 years. See 
https://sallyosmusings.blogspot.com/2011/10/fishing-trip-observation.html for a story about this girl.

Sweet Lucy, on one of our last outings with her

We found her like this one day after she got into the garbage!

When David was in the hospital for his stroke, she sensed something was wrong

Shortly afterward, David felt that he needed a new companion. “Don’t get me wrong,” he said, “I love being with you, but I need a dog, too.” So we went looking. And found this sweet girl at the animal shelter. They had given her the name “Bonnie” and since we couldn’t come up with anything better, Bonnie she is! We sometimes wish we knew what her original name was and what her back story is.

Bonnie is a strong, energetic two-year-old black lab, and we are adjusting to a young dog again. Sweet and well-behaved in the house, she knows all her commands and gives David lots and lots of attention and affection. If he sneezes, she’s right there. If he coughs, she’s right there. If the phone rings, you guessed it; she’s right there. She even lays in the doorway of his bathroom, waiting for him.

Outside, however, is another matter! She gets distracted by squirrels (and birds and butterflies, other dogs, and cars) and loves to run at will, forgetting her name and training.

A couple of examples from the last three months: early on, we took her for a walk to the local park and let her off her leash so she could run for a few minutes. Off she went after a squirrel, and we lost sight of her. We were worried! But there she was, waiting for us at home. Later that day, I saw this post on the neighborhood Facebook page with the following comments:

1. Young black lab dragging blue leash, red tags. Couldn't get my hands on him to look around 12:30 Rosewood Park. 

Said one: Oh man. Labs gonna lab. Hope he finds his humans

And another: tattletale! She was celebrating being a free woman!

And another: Glad she made it home, but boy, does she look happy!

She does love to run! And climb fences, some six feet high! 

Another story: One day she was running lose, chasing a squirrel about 10 feet in front of us, when it ran up a tree. Before we knew it, we could see a black, wagging tail going up the tree trunk! Unfortunately I didn’t have my phone with me, but imagine a 60-pound black lab staring down at us from about 5 to 6 feet up a tree! Hilarious! But then, she discovered she didn’t know how to get down. So David pulled her out of the tree using her leash. We see her stop and look at trees every once in a while and know she’s thinking about climbing up, but then she decides against it and walks away.

The tree Bonnie climbed up; imagine a 60-pound black lab staring down!

We struggle with keeping her in the yard (she jumps the fence with ease), so we have to keep her on a long rope that goes the length and width of the yard. And, on occasion, she darts out of an open door, leading us on a chase up and down the street. Our neighbors have been kind and understanding about her running. And we’ve learned that if we (or our neighbors) open a car door, she’ll jump right in!

In addition to a rope and keeping her on her leash most of the time, we’ve tried a shock collar (failed completely) and now have a choke collar on her that works to keep her under control. 

Please understand: we would really like to let her run free in the yard, but for her safety, as well as for the safety of others, we can’t let her off the rope at this time. We try to remember that she still is a puppy in a lot of ways, and we hope that as she matures, ropes and a choke collar won’t be necessary to keep her safe. We expect to enjoy her for years to come.

I wonder, during this time of social distancing and mask wearing, how often we feel like Bonnie? Yearning to run free without restraint, putting ourselves and others at risk?

I recently came across an address on this subject from 1999 by President James E. Faust, then of the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, that still rings true. The whole talk is worth reading, but here are some important thoughts from it on the subject of obedience.

He said, “Being bridled, or yielding obediently to restraint, is necessary for our personal growth and progression. Recently a nationally broadcast program talked about wild horses that are being tamed by prisoners. As the prisoners formed friendships with the horses, they learn about patience, controlling tempers, respect for others, and the value of working within a system. As they watched the horses learn to be obedient to their commands, they realized how they could have avoided the terrible mistakes that had put them in prison. I add that obedience to righteous principles would have offered them freedom from social diseases, shame, degradation, and feelings of guilt. Like the horses, they could still learn, progress, and achieve.

"We hear many persuasive voices demanding freedom from restrictions, particularly from moral restraints. However, we learn from the history of the earth that any successful society had had boundaries."
And he added, "When obedience becomes our goal, it is no longer an irritation; instead of a stumbling block, it becomes a building block."

We try to keep Bonnie restrained in order to keep her safe from harm so that she can live a long, healthy, happy life. And so it is with us, too. When we learn to be obedient, we can find joy and true freedom to move forward in our lives.