With the celebration of 30 years, this year, with my dog training business, I have been doing a lot of reminiscing.  I have been thinking about the early years when teaching a class, meant I had my little mixed breed dog by my side.  Her name was Bose' and she was blond, probably sheltie/cocker with freckles on  her nose.  She was about 15 lbs. and a truly great friend, a best friend, one of the reasons for the name of my business: Best Friends Obedience.   In those days, when we needed a demo dog for an exercise that we were teaching in class, we, the instructors, used our own dog.  I used Bose'.  For years, she was beside me with every class I taught.  If I was speaking, she was there, on leash, by my feet.  It was not until we got involved with the Volhard Motivational method that we stopped using our own dogs as demo dogs.  I had begun to notice, even before that, that my dog was no longer a motivation for my students.  Because she was always working beside me, she was pretty much perfect in every way, when it came to obedience.  Every night of the week, I taught a class, she demoed each exercise, therefore reviewing each night.  She pretty much couldn't make a mistake.  As the years past, she got slightly older, maybe 5, 6 years of age, 7, 8 and so on.  When the students would ask, with awe at her perfection: "How long have you been training her?" the truthful answer was 6-7 years.  It was true, but it wasn't how long it took to get a dog to do well.  But that was all they heard, YEARS, there was no way they had that kind of time, they wanted a good dog NOW.  This of course was counterproductive.  So when we decided to use students dogs, as the Volhard Motivational Method dictates, it made total sense.  No ringer dog to make us look good, or the method look good, or to accidently demotivate an aspiring new dog owner.  We started using dogs from within class.  It was meant to show that even with untrained dogs, this step in the training can be done, it looks like this.  It was a great plan. 
     Not having Bose' by my side each time I opened my mouth was a huge adjustment.  I couldn't talk without her leash in my  hand.  I couldn't think.  She was everything to me, my motivation, my crutch.   It was about that time that Bette Midler put out a song titled WIND BENEATH MY WINGS.  It is a very lovely song, great melody and even better lyrics.  It became the song that represented how I felt about my dog Bose'.  She made me look good, she made me confident to start up a new business.  In my mind, she helped my business thrive.  She was the wind beneath my wings.  Some of the words that meant so much and were so perfectly in line with how I felt are:
It must have been cold there in my shadow, to never have sunlight on your face.  You were content to let me shine, that's your way.  You always walked a step behind.  So I was the one with all the glory, while you were the one with all the strength.  A beautiful face without a name.  Did you ever know that you're my hero, and everything I would like to be?  I can fly higher than an eagle, cause you are the wind beneath my wings. It might have appeared to go unnoticed, but I've got it all here in my heart.  I want you to know I know the truth, of course I know it.  I would be nothing without you.  You are the wind beneath my wings.  It repeats a few lines and that is the whole song.  Everything I was: I felt I owed to her, she made me shine while she was the face in the shadows.  I would be nothing without her.  So losing her by my side in class was a huge deal to me.  Not that she went far, she was always there on the side lines after that, waiting her turn to train and play. 
     One of my most fond memories was after class one night.  We would often let all of the dogs loose to play and run around.  There was a half wall in the venue we used and I was behind it, covered up to about my waist, but I was completely visable above it, but her field of vision was below it.  Bose' was inside the half wall with lots of legs and dogs in her way.  She started to look for me, you could tell, she was looking around legs, pearing around dogs and people.  I was above the half wall watching her.  Then she finally looked up and saw me, her face lit up like 1000 watts of light.  She burst around that wall and jumped into my arms.  It was amazing.  She truly was my best friend.  She has been gone for almost 20 years now, that alone is impossible to believe, but she is still inside everything I say and think when it comes to dogs. 
     As I celebrate Best Friends Obedience's 30 th anniversary, I reflect on what made it last for so many years.  By far it is the best friends that surrounded me over the years, teaching classes and giving the school it's fine reputation.  The instructors that teach for Best Friends Obedience are also my best friends.  Thus the second reason for the name of the business.  It has always been both for me, my dog,  your dog, are best friends, taught how to be the best dog possible, by my best friends, your instructor.  I wouldn't say that Bette Midler's song fits those friendships because in my opinion these people should never go unnoticed, they are front and center.  I owe the longevity of 30 years of a successful business to the great instructors that are Best Friends Obedience.  I can't thank them enough for all they do, how they give back to their hobby of dogs.   They are the sun on my wings, not the wind beneath them, if I was to somehow continue the analogy.  Here is to a great 30 years, let us do it again!