Great name for a book or at least a good short story about a horse learning some kind of a life lesson but no…this is about our Black Lab whose name is “Reality”. And it is also a lesson that Reality learned about a horse which helped me and may just help you too.

Re-re as we affectionately call our girl, is a 7 and a half year old Black Lab with the usual Lab easy-going temperment and mostly only wanting to please us so that we are happy and ideally, happy enough to pet her often.

Because of Reality’s mindfulness we’ve been able to walk her off leash (whereas Paul, our young Aussie is bridled in with a harness) as we walk through our neighborhood. Lately though, Reality has taken to the sport of antagonizing a neighbor’s fenced in small savagely yippy dogs as they move in a rough and tumble congregation of snarling teeth, fur, tails and claws along the fence where we walk. Re-Re finds it great fun to run up to their fence to set them off and then run back across the road to join us peeing and marking her territory all along the way.

One particular day, I noticed a horse back rider ambling down the street. I don’t think Reality (or Paul for that matter) have ever come up across a horse and so I sent out the “come” command for Reality to join us. With a gleam in her eye and a giggle at her muzzle she instead took off in the opposite direction to set off the fur patrol only this time when she darted back across the street to join us about five seconds later the horse was upon her.

When she looked up and saw the horse, many many ideas and opinions must of crossed her mind with the predominant one being HOLY S$%@! She tucked her rear under her belly and laid her ears limp along her head with the biggest whitest eyes I have ever seen running straight for us.

I know there is a lesson in here somewhere for me about listening to the higher voice within me even when I “think” I know what is best to do…it helps me to picture 90 pound Reality tucking and running towards me to stop and really listen.