My Perfect Girl

The Little Princess was the ring bearer at the wedding of two of my patients yesterday. She was The Perfect Dog. Polite, mannerly, she seemed to know exactly what to do with minimal or no prompting.

She tolerated the garland of flowers I made for her to wear, walked sedately into the pavilion, knew where to go, and then calmly waited through the ceremony.

After the Big Event, she was off leash, visited everyone, or trotted around in on the lawn but stuck close enough so I could see her most of the time. She came immediately when summoned.

During the reception, someone gave her a barbecued chicken breast. I saw it, and took the breast away from her, peeling the meat off the bone. I put the bones in the trash and presented her with the meat. Although she looked longingly at the carcass, she listened when I said 'leave it!' She ignored all of the bins although I'm certain there were many temping odors wafting about.

I'm most proud of how she behaved for the photos, both of the wedding party and of the congregation. At one point, the photographer shepherded everyone together for group shots. I led The Perfect Girl Dog to a spot in front of the bride and the groom.

She sat, and then laid down for about 10 minutes, waiting patiently as everyone got organized and shuffled around. She continued her stellar performance through dozens of photographs. Unleashed, unbidden, she simply waited for us humans to sort ourselves out.

The amazing part to me was that I did not tell her what to do. She *knew* exactly where to sit, how to position herself and how long she had to be in that position. I didn't have to correct her or resettle her or, in fact, say anything but 'You are AMAZING!'

She looked beautiful, too. She'd been groomed a couple of days before by her Auntie Nancy, who owns The Grooming Room here in Ithaca. Her coat was spectacular. Her black fur shimmered and her white sparkled. And she's so soft!

The groom just called, and left a message: "She was precious! And so well-behaved! She was perfect."

And she was.