​From Spoiled to Sacred- the Rulers of Our Life by Pennie Hunt

Gracie and Zenee rule the house. They are scheduled and demanding. They want to get up at a certain time, nap at a certain time, and put to bed at a certain time.

Breakfast is at 7 am, followed by doing their tricks. Sitting, spinning in a circle, rolling over, and shaking. A treat follows each trick. Once they have performed, they go to the cabinet where the biscuits are kept and they each get a biscuit. This system of treat-giving used to be spread between breakfast and noon, but the little princesses have decided it is all an extension of breakfast.

Mid-afternoon is vitamin time. You know, those fancy dog vitamins that are all over social media and claim to cure everything? Yes, they love them and at exactly 2 pm it is vitamin time. Earlier if they are successful at talking us into serving them sooner. Just so you know- they have their own Instagram account, and they direct us to post adorable photos of them.

Dinner is at exactly 5 pm. It is time to go downstairs and watch T.V. at 7:30. A special treat waits for them when the T.V. is turned on. They go to bed at 9:30. Their dog playpen (they prefer to call it their condo) is in the corner of our bedroom. They love to sleep on the soft cushion, with their favorite small blankets and their best buddies, Lovey and Snuggles - two stuffed dogs that make the sound of heartbeats.

When we go to the store or out to dinner, they expect an explanation of where we are going, what we will be doing, how long we will be gone, and who is in charge while we are away. Gracie is always told she is in charge and Zenee is second in charge. (Zenee hates being second at anything, but she is the youngest so…)

The world revolves around dog meals, grooming appointments, veterinary appointments, monthly allergy shots, dog sitters for the times we are out of town, and the general care and comfort of the girls.

Our family teases us about how spoiled our dogs are. We don’t think of them as dogs. They are our fur babies and part of the family. At times we wonder why we seem to be human butlers to our dogs. How did we lose control?  Then I read about an interesting concept.

In Hawaii, pet ownership is very different. In Hawaii, you are not the owner of a pet. You are known as their Kahu. Kahu translates to guardian, protector, steward, beloved attendant, (yes, a human butler) basically someone entrusted with the safety of a precious and cherished thing. In Hawaii, a dog is not your property. You are their caretaker.

Hawaiians believe dogs are connected to the gods and goddesses. Dogs bring good luck.

After learning this, I realized we might be doing it right. We cherish our precious girls. We protect them and pamper them. We do everything we can to keep them happy, healthy, and safe. We would do anything for them.

Unfortunately, time goes too fast in dog years. In January Gracie will turn 9-years-old and Zenee will be 8. It feels like we just brought them home yesterday. Two sweet fluffy puppies who healed our hearts when we were grieving the loss of our 16-year-old Shih Tzu, Yogee. They brought life and movement back into our home. They taught us that there is no end of love after loss and gave us a place to share it again.

They brought meaning and purpose into our world. They have given us more than we can ever repay. For as long as we are lucky enough to have these sacred creatures in our lives, we will be honored to be their Kahu.
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                                                       Pennie’s Life Lesson:
                                                      Dogs are not just dogs.
                                            They are sacred creatures of love. 
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​YOUR TURN...        
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