Cindy Bruckart

Some dogs have issues that their owners have learned to live with. I know people (trainers) who have dogs with such severe separation anxiety that the owner hasn’t taken a vacation in years because the dog would fall apart if they left. I know a family who didn’t go to dinner for two years for fear of leaving their tiny dog home alone.

There are others who have dogs who require lots of management. Some dogs have a complicated ritual that must be performed every time they meet a new person. There are dogs who can only meet other dogs under strict circumstances that must be set up by the owner in advance.

All of this is fine and dandy, especially if the dog is lucky enough to have an owner who is willing to make these efforts.

But what happens if something happens to one of these special owners? Where do these dogs go? How do they begin to adjust if no one around them knows about all the special protocol they require in order to function?

I will never forget a conversation I had with a woman years ago when I was a young, single parent. I was expressing my exhaustion, feelings of being overwhelmed and sense of loneliness at not having a partner to depend on for parenting help. I was speechless when she replied with, “But, you do love your kids, don’t you?”

I was completely taken aback! I felt a surge of guilt and quickly said, “Oh yes of course! As hard as it is, I LOVE every minute of it!” That was an absolute lie.

Some years later, when my kids were nearly grown, I watched an episode of Oprah where mothers were talking about the reality of parenting, sans the romance. I actually cried. It was so nice to hear moms admitting such forbidden things as feeling resentment and even temporary hatred for their children. It was comforting to know that I wasn’t evil because I occasionally fantasized about just getting in the car, driving away and never looking back.

As a Canine Good Citizen Evaluator and a strong proponent of early socialization and education for puppies, I am genuinely excited about AKC’s new S.T.A.R. Puppy Program!

The AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy Program is meant to be a pre-cursor to the Canine Good Citizen Program (CGC). Like the CGC, S.T.A.R. is open to all breeds of dogs, both purebred and mixes.

This special program for dogs up to one year old advocates Socialization, Training, Activity and Responsibility. Students who take a puppy class of at least 6 weeks that is taught by a CGC Evaluator are eligible to enroll in the AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy Program and will be tested at the end of their puppy class.

Pups who pass the 20 item test receive the AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy Medal (for display or memento purposes; not suitable as a collar tag), will be listed in the AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy records, and so that they can continue learning, receive the AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy package that includes:

Most of the people reading this are avid dog lovers. So, let me ask you, as a dog lover, how would you feel if this happened? Let’s say you and your dog came to my home for Thanksgiving. Let’s also say that your dog was afraid of…hmmm…afraid of the centerpiece on the table.

How would you feel if I told you that your dog was being silly because the centerpiece is not dangerous? What if I forced your dog to spend time with the centerpiece and laughed at him when he got anxious? I’m guessing you wouldn’t be hanging around for dinner.

Sadly, this is exactly what some people go through who are afraid of dogs. In fact, there are hosts who will be joking about the dog-anxious guest before she even arrives. When she does arrive, already amped up because she knows there will be dogs at your house and that she will be chided about her fears, she is repeatedly informed that her fears are irrational and encouraged to just "don't be afraid".