Bee the Dog -- Our Role Model

I, Melissa Long Shuter found a broken tailed, sad eyed dispondent black puppy at the KY Humane Society in March 1994. After a long wait of one week, and visits to the little puppy named Melba, I finnaly was able to take the little black Melba puppy home.

First things first, Melba was renamed Bee. Bee is short for honeybee. Melissa in greek means honeybee. Noting that I did not want to call the dog "Honey," the dog was named Bee.

Taking puppy leave, I spent the first week at home with Bee, sharing every moment. Within a week Bee, at 11 weeks old, was sitting, laying down, and staying on both verbal and with signed (ASL) commands. "Wow, that was easy," is what I thought. Then came the puppy teen-age years.

"Good Owners, Great Dogs," by Brian Kilcommons guided me during the adolecent days of Bee-dog. Dog psychology 101, this book explains life from a dog's perspective and how as humans we can live together happily.

In August of 1997 Paul Shuter and I were married. It took Bee a bit of time to get used to a new owner in her life. Bee was Paul's first dog. Paul was Bee's first live-in male companion. Together the three of us learn new things about each other daily!

Currently, three and a half years after the adoption, Paul, Bee and I are living happily in Germantown. The family, including Bee, is still learning sign (ASL), playing frisbee, and enjoying life together. Paul and I have decided to model our behavior after Bee, for she is always happy to see us, always forgiving, full of energy and genuinly a pleasant creature.

The world would be a happier place if we were all more like Bee.