An Observation

My Water Dogs have had a good life. They've never gone hungry. They've never had to sleep outdoors in the cold or heat or rain. They've always known they had a warm dry bed waiting them at the end of the day. They have lived with a routine so they know exactly when to expect their next meal and when they would go out to play and when they would go to sleep each night. This is what we would hope every dog could experience.

 Sebastian has a different story. We don't know what his early life was like but from his good manners, we think he was loved and cared for. Then something changed.

 We don't know how long Sebastian was on his own looking for home, but from his physical condition when he found us, he'd been alone for awhile. His eyes were red from the sun and his pads were sore from the hot pavement. His coat was covered with a tar like substance and lots of burrs. He was too thin and very tired and thirsty.

Some people don't give dogs credit for thinking or remembering, but Sebastian knows that things were bad and now they're better. How do I come to this conclusion?

Each evening when I feed my dogs their dinner, the Water Dogs and the Hound girls get excited and jump and bark and act like it's a special occasion. Sebastian walks to the spot where he eats and sits quietly waiting.

The Water Dogs and Hounds act like it's a race to see who can finish eating first. Then they come to me for their reward. What, a reward for eating dinner? I'm not sure how that got started but I try to think of it as dessert and give each of them half a biscuit.

Sebastian takes his time eating his meal, he's usually last to finish, then comes over and licks my hand. After every single meal, he licks my hand and I interpret it as a 'thank you for feeding me' action. He will also gladly accept his half biscuit but not until he thanks me.

The experts may say I'm projecting human feelings onto my dog, but I am convinced that Sebastian knows what it's like to go hungry and be lonely and not have a safe place to sleep and he appreciates what he has.

I'm so sorry that he had to experience bad things and I think they're responsible for the dreams he has every night when he cries and moans.

 I wish no dogs ever had to know such a life. Mostly I'm glad Sebastian found us and we can give him security and love.