By Dixie Marroquin
Maya on the Phone
My name is Maya and I love
the smell of my owner’s
perfume. I am a Border
Collie. I am 10 years old and words that
describe me are: intelligent, athletic,
agile, acrobatic (my owners say I can
Eggy's Corner
spin spi
on a dime when I am catching
frisbees),f i b
and lastly but not least, I am sweet
and caring. I live in the Pacific Northwest, at
the top of Mt. Scott, overseeing the snow top
of Mt. Hood. In the morning, I go out to play
fetch and catch frisbee. I have a lot of grass
space to run around. If you ask me, I would
play fetch and catch all day long, and then do
it again the next day.
Eating, drinking water, catching my red
tennis ball, fetching my blue frisbees, resting
from time to time, and attentively hearing
everything that happens at home and outside
are my favorite things to do during the day.
My parents were working dogs. They
worked in a sheep and cattle ranch in the
Willamette Valley, Oregon. My parent’s
trainer Rafael was originally from Chile, he
was a Huaso, which means he was an expert
horseman. He trained my dad so well, that at
the sound of Rafael’s whistle, my dad would
guide the dogs to herd the sheep and cattle in
formation. Watching my dad work was like
watching flocks of birds fly by in perfect order.
The dogs and sheep and cattle would move to
the right, to the left, would stop, then go;
everything methodically coordinated using my
dad’s high intelligence and trainability skills. If
there were sheep or cattle that went stray, the
dogs would bring them back.
This week, I had a friend visit me from
Washington, D.C. and after a long day of
playing frisbees with her, we sat by the
fireplace to rest. She told me about her friend
Eggy. She mentioned that Eggy is well
informed about everything from politics
to health to networking and other exciting
activities in the nation’s Capitol.
She said that recently in Capitol Hill,
they had an event in which veteran puppies
came to visit and that Member of the House
of Representatives debated a bill that
seeks to create a pilot training program for
training therapy puppies through the Puppies
Assisting Wounded Service Members
(PAWS) for Veterans Therapy Act.
One of my owners works with Veteran
Hospital projects throughout the United States.
I, myself am a working dog; I work at
home. I keep the house safe and I provide
companionship to my owner’s 98-year-old
mother who loves me very much and has
cared for me since I was a puppy.
At home we have a book called The
Border Collie by Tracy Libby, the book says
that “First and foremost, the Border Collie is a
working dog who needs a job. The dog does
not necessarily need to be herding, but you
will be required to take up a variety of other
sports, such as obedience, agility, flyball,
flying disc, jogging, swimming, or hiking, in
order to give your dog a job.” Being a Border
Collie is a full-time job.
Usually, when the phone rings at home, I
run to fetch a squeaky toy and bring it back to
the phone to make sure the person on the other
side of the phone call can hear me. I asked my
friend if I could talk on the phone with Eggy
to ask if this Spring we can team up to work on
raising awareness and remind our owners to
schedule our physical exam and our annual
checkup appointments.
When we go to the veterinarian, the
doctor does a thorough examination of our
skin, coat, eyes, ears, feet, lymph nodes,
glands, teeth, and gums, listens to our heart
and lungs, feels the abdomen, muscles, and
joints.
This may sound like a lot, but it’s
important work.
The Spring season is a great time for
our owners to schedule their own dentists
and doctor’s appointments for the year
and while at it, also schedule our veterinarian
appointments, that way we can both work
towards achieving our health and well-being
goals together.
Here are three tips on how to stay healthy
and hydrated this Spring season:
1. Drink plenty of water.
2. If you attend Easter egg hunting
events, stay away from eating chocolate to
avoid poisoning.
3. Avoid heat exhaustion by doing
outside activities during the cooler part of the
day rather than when it’s too hot.
In the Pacific Northwest, the weather
changes often. You might have snow one day
and sunny weather the next. Our region of the
country is a super dog-friendly place and great
place for tourists to enjoy. When Eggy comes
to visit we can go swimming in the river, play
on the beach, and run up in the mountains.
Although we are all different breeds, it’s
fascinating how aware of the genetic make up,
and working with our owners to achieve
common health objectives is a rewarding
experience for our family, friends, and
neighbors. Our owners are like our mom and
dad, it’s important for them to know about our
physiology; how we see colors differently,
how we smell scents differently, how we can
help them make discoveries about the
meaning of life, how we help them laugh, and
how we want to communicate with them
because we are loyal to them and will always
be there for them.
My owner has a book called the Odyssey
by Homer. In the book, there’s a dog named
Argos. When Odysseus, the main character of
the book, returns home the only one who
recognizes him right away is his faithful dog.
Our relationship with our owner is simple but
runs deep in the heart that we will always
remember each other with genuine and
abundant love. LS
Want to comment or have any questions on
this article? Email us at info@latinastyle.com
34 www.latinastyle.com LATINAStyle Vol. 26, No. 1, 2020
/www.latinastyle.com
link
