Waiting for the miracle

 "Wait for the miracle" - that's a common phrase used in rooms like Alcoholics Anonymous and cancer wards - places where hope is needed.

About 4 months ago I was reading about someone with a Boxer and she said something to the effect that literally overnight, on her dog's 2nd birthday, his personality changed.  He went from a total maniac to having some control - as much as a Boxer can have anyway.

I scoffed at the time, totally assured that this would never happen with Booker.

Yesterday morning Marc and I went to a biking event.  The afternoon was spent working on the yard and the dogs were outside playing the whole time.

Today we headed out early to get in some beach time.  We walked the 1 mile path to the beach and then walked about a mile down the beach to stop, make coffee and relax while the dogs played in the water.

We then ate lunch on the beach,

The beach wasn't crowded, but lots of people walked by.

As we headed back on the trail, I suddenly realized - has the miracle started to happen?  

Booker is about 2 months away from his second birthday, and as we walked i realized - Booker was staying right with us.  When he did get ahead of us he would stop and look back to make sure he was good.  He came every single time we called him back.  When people walked by on the beach he mostly stayed calm.

And as I thought more I reflected that while he still hates his crate, he goes in without a fight (just some pouting) and doesn't bark and drool and freak out the entire time we are gone.  He plays nicely with the cats instead of being so rough they run away.

There were days when I never ever thought that these things would happen.  Now don't get me wrong, he's not perfect, and he's certainly not like Sisko who was the easiest, most obedient dog from day 1.  But he has come so far.  

As he has gotten older, it is clear that he is what Cesar Millan would refer to as a front of the pack dog, which means he is always going to be a bit extra.  He has and will continue to push boundaries and test our patience.

We love him no matter what and he is indeed sweet and affectionate and up for anything.  He is my running buddy and keeps us on our toes.  

Maybe one day we can actually leave him out of his crate and he won't destroy anything!

Wait for the miracle.