By now, you are all aware of the death of our Boxer Jake and the arrival of Trip.  Actually, his name is Jake III, Duke of Killion.  I have had three boxers (all named Jake), Duke in in honor of my dad’s boxer.  We call him Trip (as in triple).  As of yesterday (May 31), Trip is now 4 months old and that means the training begins in earnest.

I say in earnest because he has been trained (and training us) since he arrived.  Now comes simple obedience training.  He is going to learn what the leash is for, how to wear it and walk with it.  He will learn basic commands:  Heal, sit, down, stay, etc.  I put a leash on him for the first time a couple weeks ago because the Vet requires it.  You should have seen the look of betrayal he gave me.  It was as if to say “What did I ever do to deserve this?”  Eventually, if I do my job correctly he will get used to all this and will do what I tell him to do, when I tell him.  For now, I just get “that look”.  Eventually, we will get more advanced with the training.

God deals with us in a similar fashion.  No, we do not wear a leash, or go for walks, exactly (Though we call it “a walk with God”).  We do have restrictions – things we can do and things we should not.  I have given God “that look” on more than one occasion, when I realize that I should no longer do some of the things I have done in my life.  However, I have learned that all of this is for my good and causes my quality of life to improve, and I really do look forward to learning more – once I get the simpler things down.