Dear Friends, Family, Fans and Abolish the Crate Federation Members,
Happy Birthday to Jones!
Jones turns one year old this month, so I asked if he would reflect on his first year of life. He quickly agreed to be a guest blogger. Jones apparently had a lot to say, which is surprising. He tends to be a pup of many sticks but few words.
Please remember… we were all young once.
Hello to All!
This year has been a whirlwind of activity. First, I was born, in Montana, with my many siblings. Second, my Mom came and got me and we had a wonderful 3 day drive home. I aced my first time in a car, peeing outside, sleeping in a hotel and meeting strangers. I thought to myself: Could it get any better?
And, it did! I found out I had 2 brothers waiting to meet me which was a wonderful surprise. I played a lot with them and got to know them pretty well. Grady is easy going and will play anytime but Dawson likes to stick to his schedule and play by the rules. We had a bit of a rocky start but only because Dawson loves me and wants me to be a very good boy so he’s constantly explaining the rules. Between you and me, Dawson is a very good teacher. It’s just that sometimes I don’t want to listen so I don’t.
Other fun stuff – I get to run in the pasture (off leash!), go to some classes and play all sorts of games with Mom in the training building. I love to play games and run! I think running is my favorite!
I’ve also found I have a natural gift for finding and chewing sticks. I LOVE sticks! When I heard that not all dogs have access to sticks, I was shocked and decided to rectify the situation. So, I started a business called, “Sticks, Inc.” which I’m excited about. To be honest, I haven’t gotten very far because I get distracted easily.
When I mentioned this to Dawson, he immediately loaned me several books from his library. The first book was very helpful and is titled, What Squirrel? Ignore Distractions and Increase Productivity by Dawson Earnest Huntley (apparently a best seller – I had to wait 2 weeks for Amazon to get it back in stock). Absolute Focus is a classic by a border collie named Bocephus Oliver “Bo” Campbell and well worth a read. Dawson also loaned me Ram Dass’ Be Here Now. I’m not really sure why he recommended the book, but it did get me thinking.
Grady weighed in with his book, Do It For Your Human, which discusses, at length, finding the motivation behind doing something you just don’t feel like doing. I found it surprisingly insightful and thought that Grady could read my mind (he had a rebuttal for every excuse I had!). It ranks up there with my favorite podcast episode of Grady’s. It is called, “Tennis Ball: Friend or Foe? Let’s Start A Conversation!” (you can find it on Shady Grady & Friends podcast #1003).
So there you have it. A fun and exciting first year for sure!
Cheers,
Jones Malone Steve-Pepper Huntley
Founder of Sticks, Inc.
Founder of Sticks, Inc.
I can say without fear of contradiction that Jones’ first year was both challenging and exciting. Nonetheless, I’m glad he’s here. There’s never a dull moment.
There you have it. Chapter and verse.
Dawson Earnest Huntley
President & CEO
Abolish The Crate Federation
