Find me

"Don't always keep your dog on a leash if you want him to be attached to you."
-- A. Willametz

Gracie and I have a game we play at home called "Find Me." I hide some where in the house and call out to Gracie to find me. She completes a methodical room by room search until she locates me. When she finds me, she wags her tail and bangs her body into my legs. I hug her neck and thank her for finding me.

I thought this was just one of the many quirky games I make up to entertain both me and Gracie until I read a section in Tamar Geller's book The Loved Dog entitled "Love and Connection." The premise of this section is that dogs need to feel connected to their owners. Geller writes: "It is not enough just to exercise your dog, give her some food and then put her away like a toy until you feel like taking her out again. They need to know that even with some physical distance, you are still there for them, always connected."

When I first starting taking Gracie to the dog park, I was nervous letting her off the leash. As a young dog, she was unpredictable about coming when called. But as I expressed confidence in her, she gained confidence and now "finds me" often in the park. This was best exhibited last November following my foot surgery. My sister and I took Gracie to the dog park. I sat at one of the picnic tables while my sister walked the trail. Gracie was torn between her two people. I told her to go play, but she would only get so far down the path before she would run back to check on me. Finally, she connected enough with my sister to stay with her on the backside of the trail. As a fine mist began to fall, I hobbled back to the car. As Gracie rounded the corner she looked toward the picnic table for where she thought I would be. I was gone. From the car I could see panic set in. She stood on her tip toes looking for me. I got back out of the car as quickly as I could, and called for her. Her forward-pitched ears caught the sound and she came running toward me as fast as she could run.

I hugged her neck. "Yea!" I said, "You found me!"