Tempore Occupare

Hey, how about that, Latin from a dog!  My dad says he took 5 years of Latin, didn’t learn a thing except for the fact that he hated Latin but this seemed appropriate for what I want to talk about.  Tempore Occupare is translated “Seize the Moment”, kind of like Carpe Diem but quicker and, in this instance, relates to Dougie.
Dougie is the youngest of us three Reddawgs. My dad sometimes refers to us as the Three Stooges.  I have absolutely no idea what he’s referring to but I assume that it must be some kind of very high praise.  Now Dougie has always had a mind of his own and has always been more intent on doing his own thing (which usually involves some way of getting in trouble) than following instructions or honoring requests.  When he was younger, dad started taking him along on our walks with a certain amount of trepidation, knowing that Dougie more than likely would not come just because he was called.  Knowing that Dougie would stay with us, dad left the training to me and Lil and he’s never run off on us in spite of the fact that he still prefers to range a little further than the rest of us.  Dougie is also too smart for his own good, it’s almost impossible to keep him in a kennel or yard, he can jump or climb almost anything and latched gates are no impediment to his adventurous spirit, watched him one day go over to the shelter (after hopping two closed gates) and open it up, not because he wanted in but to let his friends out to play in the sandpile with him.  Okay, Dougie is a troublemaker but we love him and he always makes dad laugh.  Unfortunately, his free-spirited nature often gets in the way of his hanging out with dad and us when he’s working outside.  Dougie’s always felt bad that he can’t always join us and I know dad has too.  But what to do?  Extensive training has not been an option, there is always way more stuff to do around here than there is day without all that and so we have always made a point to include Dougie whenever we can but no more.
It was just a couple of weeks ago when we were working on the land we’re clearing for the new sanctuary that Dougie obviously, all of a sudden, “got it”.  You could tell that he’d figured it all out, that if he stayed around a little better and dad didn’t have to stop what he was doing every 5 minutes to hunt him down, he’d get to go with us more.  Surprisingly, but to his credit, Dad noticed too and went out of his way to include Dougie more.  Now, Dougie asks dad to accompany him to “help” him on outside jobs even when it’s too hot for me and Lil and the land-clearing project has become “their thing” that they do together.  Dougie, for his part, has responded so well to this reinforcement of his good behavior that he now accompanies us on our trips up to get the mail, something dad will only allow his most trusted few to do (that highway kills and there is no room for mistakes of any kind).  Again, Lil and I have helped out with his training and have shown him where we’re expected to stop (about 25 feet short of the end of our road) while dad gets the mail. 
The reason I mention all this is because you humans all lead very busy lives and I’m sure there are some areas where you and your dog(s) would like to enrich your interactions with each other but just don’t have the time to put into it.  I understand that but sometimes good things happen, just because.  In this case, Dougie made the overture, a peace offering if you will,  and because someone “seized the moment” and capitalized on it, everyone’s life is fuller and happier.  In a real world, sometimes that’s all we can do but try to keep a lookout for those opportunities when they do pop up.  Even though your pet may not be fluent in Latin, he/she is a lot smarter than you’d think and a missed opportunity will never be anything more than a missed opportunity.