Many people have described how there was one good teacher in their schooling that inspired them and changed their lives. I was not so fortunate. All of my teachers were rather average. It didn’t help that in classes of more than sixty boys that most of their time and energy went on maintaining order.

My greatest teacher was my first dog Phoebe, a sweet and intelligent Labrador crossed with Alsatian.  I had only ever known cats before she appeared. Her first lesson for me was that dogs are friendly…very friendly.

Phoebe taught me about unconditional love and loyalty. She taught me how to live in the moment and not waste time on regrets. She tried to teach me to forgive everything but humans are hopeless at that. I think she knew that.

Phoebe taught me that if something is fun then you can do it a million times and it will still be fun. She certainly taught me how to play with dogs and to take instruction from them. I learnt what her body language meant and what her different vocal utterances indicated. I remember with regret her half moan half sigh when I ignored her requests for more play.

The most painful lesson Phoebe taught me was how to say goodbye to a loved one. That was the hardest lesson of all, but I managed to learn it and to this day, when I think of Phoebe, I smile and remember how much she loved me and all the happy years she shared with me.