One of the finest private schools in Indiana is a combination elementary and high school by the name of Park Tutor. It is consistently ranked was one of the best schools in the area and if we had moved to Indianapolis, rather than Carmel where we currently live, we would have undoubtedly considered sending our kids there. Luckily for us, Carmel had, and still has, a fantastic school system, and we ended up moving to this suburb back in 1982 at the urging of the State Superintendent of Schools. On hindsight, it was a great decision.
Anyway, some years ago, a budding entrepreneur decided to start a doggie daycare/training school and named it Bark Tutor. It’s located within a mile of Park Tutor and I can ‘t help but think the name, which I believe is incredibly clever, helped them ascend to the highest levels of training and reputation in the area. It has enjoyed a place of notoriety almost since its inception.
Ironically, a friend of our bought Bark Tutor when the original owner retired several years ago. Brad, the new owner, is huge in the dog show world and also has a top tier boarding facility southeast of Indy. We have known Brad for years and his facility cared for Hank, our beloved dog, for years before he passed away last summer. Brad has brought that same level of professionalism to everything he gets involved in; and Bark Tutor is no exception.
In fact, Brad is the person who we depended on to find Eva, the black English Lab that we brought into our home before last Christmas. He was involved in her training and actually identified the kennel in New York where he thought temperament and lineage would be in line with what we were looking for. He was right, as usual. Eva has been a great addition to our family as we made the call to once again welcome a dog into our family.
Anyway, we recently decided to engage Eva in more social interaction and playtime with other dogs. Since Brad owns Bark Tutor, we committed to try the facility. After all, Eva spent the first eight months or so of her life with Brad and has been trained by his staff. So… it was kind of a no-brainer for us.
Well, last Monday was the day. We want Eva to continue her training and also socialize more with other dogs. So… we made her reservation for the day and had her ready for her play date by 8:15 am or so. As we arrived at Bark Tutor, I was going to get out and walk her in, getting a lay of the land in the process. Well, before I knew it, a staff person, who already knew Eva, came out to our car, got her out, escorted her in to their facility and told me I could get her that afternoon before 6:00 pm.
I honestly felt I was back in the days of dropping our children off at nursery school or kindergarten more than 40 years ago. It was odd seeing a string of cars waiting patiently as staff people came out and escorted their charges in to begin their playtime. In fact, it was a little surreal. And you know how you feel when people are looking at you because they all know what to do – and you don’t? Ding, ding, ding…. That’s how I felt. It was a little embarrassing. To say nothing of the fact that all the other drivers were “mothers” and here I was as the lone “dad.” Like, I didn’t know that you weren’t supposed to get out of your car… I almost had the door taken off by another family who zoomed into the spot next to me…. Clearly, I was a rookie!
I think I suffered a little anxiety when I went back to get Eva around 4:00 pm. I went early thinking that I could avoid the rush – and the embarrassment of being a “first timer…” Sure enough, I pulled up, they saw my car, and several moments later, Eva was heading out to the car, escorted by a staffer who gave me a brief report on Eva’s first day. I couldn’t believe the service and attention to caring for their beloved visitors. Anyway, I found myself hoping that I would receive a good report on how Eva behaved. For sure, I was back in the day, hoping that none of our kids had been put in time out or sent to the principal’s office. As I look back on it, I know it sounds goofy.
But that was nothing compared to the email report card that I received around dinner time. It was complete with pictures of Eva’s activities during the day, as well as names of her new friends. Natalie, Shadow and Waffles seemed to spend the most time with her… She was described as “the life of the party, waggy and the sweetest dog ever.” I was like a proud Dad! All that training and spending time with Eva was paying dividends and eventually, we will have the dog of our dreams if we can keep the pace up!
Our verse for the day is really about children – we are reminded of how we should deal with our kids. In order to help them become responsible adults, Proverbs 22:6 tells us, “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.” I think it is true for puppies as well! My encouragement this evening is that an investment of time in our youngsters, whether human or not, will yield strong results for years to come. My prayer is that God will give all of us the stamina to stay the course, not tire during the race and complete the tasks that will allow our families to become all that they can be! Have a great day in the Lord, grace and peace…