What is a Title, Really?
by Sandy Mowery
What is a Title, Really?
Not just a brag,
Not just a stepping stone to a higher title,
Not just an adjunct to competitive scores.
A Title is a tribute to the dog that bears it,
a way to honor that dog,
an ultimate memorial.
It will remain in the record and in the memory
for about as long as anything in this world can remain.
Few humans will do as well or better in that regard.
And though the dog himself doesn't know or care
that this achievements have been noted,
a Title says many things in the world of humans,
where such things count.
A Title says your dog was intelligent, and adaptable,and good-natured.
It says that your dog loved you enough to do the things that please you,
however crazy they may have sometimes seemed.
And a Title says that you loved your dog,
that you loved to spend time with him because he was a good dog,
and that you believed in him
enough to give him yet another chance when he failed (or you did),
and that in the end your faith was justified.
A Title proves that your dog inspired you
to have the special relationship enjoyed by so few;
that in a world of disposable creatures,
this dog with a Title was greatly loved,
and loved greatly in return.
And when that dear short life is over,
the Title remains as a memorial of the finest kind,
the best you can give to a deserving friend,
volumes of praise in one small set of initials before or after the name.
A Title is nothing less than love and respect,
given and received permanently.
by Sandy Mowery
What is a Title, Really?
Not just a brag,
Not just a stepping stone to a higher title,
Not just an adjunct to competitive scores.
A Title is a tribute to the dog that bears it,
a way to honor that dog,
an ultimate memorial.
It will remain in the record and in the memory
for about as long as anything in this world can remain.
Few humans will do as well or better in that regard.
And though the dog himself doesn't know or care
that this achievements have been noted,
a Title says many things in the world of humans,
where such things count.
A Title says your dog was intelligent, and adaptable,and good-natured.
It says that your dog loved you enough to do the things that please you,
however crazy they may have sometimes seemed.
And a Title says that you loved your dog,
that you loved to spend time with him because he was a good dog,
and that you believed in him
enough to give him yet another chance when he failed (or you did),
and that in the end your faith was justified.
A Title proves that your dog inspired you
to have the special relationship enjoyed by so few;
that in a world of disposable creatures,
this dog with a Title was greatly loved,
and loved greatly in return.
And when that dear short life is over,
the Title remains as a memorial of the finest kind,
the best you can give to a deserving friend,
volumes of praise in one small set of initials before or after the name.
A Title is nothing less than love and respect,
given and received permanently.
What do all those letters mean before and after the dog's name?
Ever look at a dog's "formal" or registered name and wonder what all those letters mean? Those letters stand for titles that a dog has earned. Different organizations offer various events at which you can compete with your dog. (See "Things to do with your Belgian" for more information about those events.)
This page has a good list of dog titles/abbreviations: http://www.justfurkids.com/dog_titles.html
If you see an abbreviation that you can't find an explanation for, please let me know.
