In a message dated 1/5/2003 7:35:51 PM Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:
> I currently have only one berner, she is my first berner > and she just recently turned two. Hi Arlene, It sounds like you're moving right along through the 'phases' that come along with adding a Berner to your family. After house training and manners training and surviving the adolescent hyjinx...the fear period takes hold, for the owner that is! I don't think I slept much for the year between my first berner's second and third birthday. Like you, that was when I truly knew...internally...all the terrible things that 'could' happen to take her away from us, and it scared the heck out of me. But somewhere along the line, I realized that I was wasting precious time by letting my fear of what *might* happen take away from the time I had... right in my grasp. After mulling that over for a few weeks, I kicked myself in the butt and said 'that's enough of that'. It registered then that I'd rather enjoy whatever time I have with my Berner than two or three times as many years with another breed. It sank in that making the most of the time you have with your Berner is what matters, not the day count. The load lifted, I started sleeping again...at least until the 2nd berner puppy arrived and demanded middle of the night potty runs <g>. BTW~ I'm still enjoying every day with that same berner. She still makes me smile, she still makes me pull out my hair, she still outsmarts me, and she's still teaching me many things. She'll be 11 next month. -Sherri Venditti
