“She’s a wonderful dog…. and she has to be managed   a l l   t h e   t I m e.”

My son has for several years lived with and cared for a now eight-year-old female Blue Heeler, Arya. An Australian Cattle Dog. Arya came into my son’s life through his partner. Arya came into his partner’s life as a puppy one winter night at a party in Arizona. About mid-way through the evening, one of the late-arriving guests walked in with puppy Arya, less than a year old, whom he’d found, sitting alone along the roadside, on his way to the party.

“I found her on my way here. Does anyone want her?”

As a puppy, she had either run away from her owner or someone had abandoned her and left her to fend for herself.

My son’s partner raised her hand.

My son and his partner have invested a LOT of time working with Arya and she is wonderful. She’s what you’d want if you were looking for a dog to herd cattle. Fiercely loyal. Protective. Physically robust. Fast. Smart. Relentless. Almost inexhaustible. Hard headed, literally. Stubborn. Tolerant of significant pain when injured. Affectionate but not a smuggler. And strong-willed – she tests everything constantly.

For example, she’s not allowed in the kitchen. This is a long-established limit. Yet, she’ll come and stand just at the entrance to the kitchen and literally lean in or take one or two steps, then one or two more until she’s told, “Out!”. Or she’ll sit on the floor at the entrance to the kitchen with half a paw over the line. And then the full paw. Then half a leg until, “Out!”

“She’s a wonderful dog. We love her and all of this comes with her breed”, he says, smiling as he rubs her head. “And we have to manage her  a l l   t h e   t I m e.”

Nick Miller and Clarity train banks and bankers to attract and develop deeper relationships with small businesses. Many more Sales Thoughts like this and a host of other articles and resources at https://clarityadvantage.com/knowledge-center/ .