Sundance: Did you know that someday you would become a dog man?
Early on in life, I was always exploring the natural world around me, touching and feeling everything I came in contact with. I was very curious.
Sundance: So would you say your love for dogs was a pure love for mother nature?
James: Being outdoors and enjoying the company of my grandpa gave me a strong appreciation for mother nature. First thing every morning we would go to The Griffith Park Observatory with Heidi, our German shepherd, and walk her. This was long before they had trails carved out and groomed for the masses that visit today. We always walked Heidi on leash, and I rarely remember observing in the general canine-public the kinds of behavior problems we hear of today.
Sundance, Heidi was a gift to us and for us from our neighbor Fred. When I was barely able to walk, Heidi was there to help me get back up. I would use her back to help lift me up and balance myself. Heidi never had a litter of pups, so I guess in some way I was her pup. Knowing how much I loved her, when Fred passed away, he left the dog to me. She would hang out in our backyard with me and my mom, and guard us. Back in those days, we did not have fences surrounding every house like they do now. We were less caged-in and free to come and go. There were no vicious dogs roaming the streets of our neighborhood then, either.
Sundance: So is it the looks of us? I am quite handsome.
James: I always had an attraction to dogs. I love the way they smell and all the silly things they do. My mom tells of how we were walking down a crowded street when I was a toddler, and before she had a second to process and react, I was fondling the huge jaws of an Old English Bulldog. Her heart nearly stopped, but she could tell then that I was innately attune to telling the character of dogs. And that bulldog loved me right back.
Sundance: So you always gravitate towards dogs?
James: They also gravitate toward me.
To this day, I love when a dogs rubs it's face against mine. The whiskers give me a tingly feeling. It's at that moment I get a strong sense of belonging with a dog, more than with a human. In grammar school, one of the Franciscan priests owned a dog whose name was Snoopy, a black German shepherd mix. I remember running with him around the playground and falling down. He came over to me and made sure I was okay and nudged me back up to continue running.
Sundance: What's the point that unites all those great points you shared?
James: Life has way of connecting beginnings and endings. We continuously adapt and evolve, while forever learning new things. My comprehension of dogs matured from symbolic interactions and visual cues with mother nature. Fusing together all the memories I stockpiled helped me be who I am today.
I strongly urge people to follow through on their dreams and ideas. Had I not, I would not be here today sharing the love I have for dogs with you and those who seek my advice and service. I believe I came full circle when I found you, Sundance. I had been swimming around in the placenta of society for a while, getting my education, jumping from job to job, interviewing for ideal jobs; finally reaching a point of enlightenment. I realized I had been constructing and building a foundation this entire time. That is why your Momma and I agreed to move to Oregon and begin a new life with Mother Nature.
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