My Story

Paula and Nikki Nikkie played a role in the movie "First Born"	Paula with Dr. Ian Dunbar and Brother Christopher ("Divine Canine" -  The Monks of New Skeet)

Growing up with a father that adored his beagles is perhaps what gave me the sense and understanding of dogs that just always seemed to come naturally to me. Being the youngest of 3 children, with 10 years between my brother and I, the dogs were my friends and my playmates. I spent most of my childhood days playing with the 12-30 dogs that lived in the kennel behind our house. When I needed someone to talk to...I talked to them. When I was lonely, they were my friends. And I learned that if I paid attention, they talked back. Not in my language, but in theirs. Their eyes, their ears and their body language said so much...if I would just stop, observe and listen.

At around 6 years of age, I was invited to go with my Dad and his “huntin buddies” on my first hunt. So with the small .22 rifle (a 1906 Winchester pump that belonged to my grandfather) we set off for the woods. Even though I was a little girl, getting to tag along with the guys was almost like a right of passage to me. I remember to this day the feeling of excitement that I experienced when I began to understand their language. My Dad spent time explaining to me the different types of barks that the beagles had to let the hunters know what kind of animal they were after. Long sharp yelps in sequences of 3’s were rabbits, and short yelps were how they located one another if one of them got separated from the pack. He could even tell the difference between his dogs and the ones that belonged to the other men by their barks. I still to this day don’t completely understand that concept, but he did. He told me that their voices are as individual as a person’s if you listen closely and get to know them personally enough.

So began my lifelong journey of getting to know how dogs think. How they react to certain people and situations, and how they relate and communicate with other dogs. I’m bothered by the fact that it seems that dogs have become such a part of society that they’ve actually become fashion statements. How many movie stars do you see now with cute little dogs hanging in purses and pouches, dressed in ridiculous “people” clothes with sad “help me” looks in their eyes? Dogs are not accessories! They’re living, feeling, and breathing canines, evolved from wild animals that we’ve adopted into our world. It amazes me that some of the very people who use those animals to adorn or color coordinate with their outfits belong to P.I.T.A.!

How sad it is that people use dogs to try to fulfill something that’s missing in their lives. They have a void perhaps that can only be filled by God, not by an animal. It’s so unfair for dogs to be put in a position to fill our human emotions. It’s also unfair that we don’t let dogs be “dogs”, and understand them. It’s unfair, as well as unhealthy when humans take dogs into their lives as children, or babies. This is the basis of unbalanced, discontented dogs because their owners are unbalanced. There is a disaster waiting to happen because a dog is turned into a spoiled rotten brat with no rules, no boundaries, and no limitations. Situations like this only confuse a dog because they have no leader, and don’t feel safe and protected. It’s not natural.

Dogs can add so much to our lives. They can become a wonderful playmate and companion for a child and a great addition to a family. Parents need to educate their children, and research dog breeds BEFORE adding a dog to the family. Much in the same way they would educate the child if they suddenly were expecting a new baby. When a family is expecting a new addition, most go to great lengths to explain to the younger child and siblings what it will be like when the new baby arrives. They make sure that they understand that their home and their lives will be changed. They have to treat the new baby gently, with love and caring. It should be the same way with a new puppy. The whole house will be different. It can be fun, exciting and a wonderful adventure. Or...it can turn into a disaster if the child doesn’t understand what is expected of them. Sadly, so many adolescent puppies end back up in shelters after several months, simply because it just didn’t work out. Most are put to sleep because at that point, their bad habits and demeanor make them not so “cute” anymore. Not their fault….the owners!

I’m in the process of writing a children’s book about getting a new puppy. Hopefully it will be published within the next few months. Hopefully I can help…it’s my passion…I do it for the dogs! My book…”Are you Big Enough?” will be dedicated to my Dad… Paul Edward Watkins. Someone who loved dogs, truly understood them, and taught me SO much!