Weekend Dog Seminar - by Brother David

This past weekend (July 18–20) saw our third dog seminar.  We were graced with the presence of 43 dog-lovers from many different walks of life: a veterinarian, a few trainers, teachers,  a physicist, medical doctors (two of them psychiatrists), and a Zen practitioner among others; and many different parts of the country from just northeast of us in Fort Ann, New York, to Los Angeles, California. This was in marked contrast to our last two seminars, which were attended mostly by trainers and other dog professionals.  The one thing all the attendees have in common is that they are dog-lovers.

Around two years ago, Marc Goldberg, a good friend and trainer from the Chicago area, suggested that we do a seminar on our approach to dogs: what they mean to us and how they work spiritually in our lives.  We were doubtful that anyone would be interested in hearing what we had to say about such a topic.  Marc persisted, and we finally decided to give it a try.  Well, Marc was right.  The first seminar in March 2013 sold out in a couple days without any advertising on our part—just a notice on our website.   The two sessions in May and July of this year were equal successes.

The sessions in the seminar have to do with how we here at New Skete combine spirituality and our life with dogs and how we view the human/canine relationship and our obligations in that relationship as a way to deepen our connection with the divine.  The titles reflect that:

Friday

What Is New Skete?  Br Marc: An overview of who we are and how we got into dogs.

The New Skete Philosophy of Living with Dogs. Br Christopher: What dogs mean for us and how that plays out in our day-to-day lives.

Lunch

Grooming Demo. Br Luke and Ms Julia Gates

The New Skete Puppy: Not just another German Shepherd. Br David: An introduction to our breeding program, philosophy, and rationale for breeding.

Saturday

Selecting a Puppy. Br Luke and Ms Julia Gates: What to consider when adopting a dog.

Puppy Socialization the First Eight Weeks and Beyond. Br David: What socialization is and what it does for the dog.

The Art of Living with Your Dog: How to Live Intentionally with Your dog and Have the Dog of Your Dreams. Br Christopher: The title pretty much says it all.

Round-table Discussions: Opportunities for participants to share their experience and wisdom concerning breeding, basic day-to-day life with their dogs, business aspects for trainers and breeders.

Sunday

The Spiritual Dimension in the Human/Dog Relationship. Br Christopher: What do dogs mean in our lives?  How are they part of our search for meaning?

Q&A session. Questions ranged from training issues to How did individuals come to monastic life?

We started with a relaxing “pizza party mixer” on Thursday evening, which was catered by a local concern, Spoonful Catering.  It was a perfect blend of good company, good food, and good weather.  (We don’t have any control over the weather, but this may be proof that prayer is answered because the previous days were quite hot and muggy.)  Everyone had a good time so that, by the end of the event, I could see that we were becoming a community, even if only for the duration of the seminar (although I noticed people exchanging email addresses and phone numbers as things went on).

As the sessions unfolded on Friday and Saturday, I heard a lot of people at the breaks and during lunch discussing the topics of the sessions—always a positive sign.

We also had two suppers open to the participants.  These were optional affairs, and participants had to make reservations for them when they signed up for the seminar.  Our chef, Scott Sztorc, really outdid himself: Moroccan chicken, pork tenderloin Stroganoff, a mahi-mahi dish, cucumber soup, shrimp bisque—you get the idea.  Good company and good food: ’nuff said.

Many thanks are in order to those who made the seminar possible:

·       Ida Williams, our director of communications, who kept it all together and on track.

·       Karen Gladstone, our director of development, who organized the volunteers and worked with Ida.

·       Scott Sztorc, our chef, who looked to our nutritional needs in such spectacular ways.

·       Richard Austin, our handyman and grounds keeper (the guy who keeps New Skete in good repair!), who took care of set-ups and tear-downs.

·       Julia Gates, our puppy kennel coordinator, who worked with Br Luke during the Selecting a Puppy session and with Br David to demonstrate the socialization exercises.

·       Mark Goldberg, who gave the inspiration and the encouragement to push forward when we were asking, “But who would want to come here?”

·       The volunteers from our Chapel Community who provided invaluable support.

·       And, of course, the participants themselves, whose love of dogs made the whole seminar possible in the first place.

We’ve had some emails and phone calls since the seminar ended, some thanking us for the event and some asking when the next seminar is scheduled.  So if you might be interested in attending one of the seminars, please check our website occasionally to see what is happening and when.

And to those who are reading this who have attended one of the seminars: it has been a pleasure and an honor to share our vision and life with you.