"A boy can learn a lot from a dog; obedience, loyalty, and the importance
of turning around three times before lying down." -Robert Benchly -
Gerry had decided that the kids needed a dog and someone at the Teen Center told her that
this farmer had some puppies he was giving away. The next day she loaded her mother in the car and they drove out
into the county to take a look. Sure enough they found this farm with a sign out front that read "Lab puppies
-- Free". They drove up to the house to inquire and before they could get out of the car, the farmer came
out and asked: "Are you here to see about a dog?" Gerry nodded yes and the farmer led them around back
to an old barn. As they entered the barn they could hear a lot of yelping coming from the hayloft and as soon as
the farmer whistled this pack of puppies, one by one, came rushing down the ladder. About midway through this process
one came tumbling down that was just about covered in dog poop and hay. Gerry always said that he looked so pitiful
that she knew he was the one. Anyway, that's how we acquired Sinbad, the dog.
My family had the pleasure of his antics (and love) for the next 16 years and has always told anyone who would
listen, that he was the smartest dog ever. Example; It was about 6 years later that we transferred from Chicago
to St. Louis and moved into a big house in University City. The kids and Sinbad loved the new room to roam and
the kids taught him how to play Hide-&-Go-Seek. They would make old Sinbad stand in the center of the room
with a sheet over his head, then they would go hide somewhere in the house, they would yell "READY" and
Sinbad would go tearing through the house until he found them. Once he had accomplished this finding, he would
run back to the center of the room and wait for them to come and do it all over again. It wasn't long that they
abandoned the sheet and had him standing in the corner of the room with his nose against the wall so he could not
see them hide. Every once in a while you could see him take a peek, but for the most part he would just stand there,
tail smacking the wall, as he waited for the signal "READY". Soon the corner of the room became a big
tree out in the back yard and they had many more places to roam and to hide. The kids in the neighborhood became
involved in this game and all had a good time. Sometimes we would get a knock on the back door where some kid was
asking "Can Sinbad come out and play?"
I'm not sure that Sinbad (at the ripe age of about 6) could qualify as an "Old Dog", however, he surely
was no longer a puppy and over the remainder of his life, he continued to astound us with his ability to learn
new stuff. Gerry once taught him how to say Mama. It would take him several attempts to get his normal voice into
the exact falsetto that she wanted, nevertheless, he would keep trying until he got it just right for her. He would
never do this "trick" for anyone else. Beyond the fun of reminiscing, the point I am trying to make is
that you can teach an "Old Dog" new tricks and that the doing so is a worthy pursuit for good things
usually come from it.
Learning at any age is always something good. Often the older we get the more fun it is to come to some new realization
or to be amazed that we can gain a new skill. I do believe that the young and the old have had more fun with this
thing we know as a computer and the access it provided to the world. I still haven't figured out how the instant
messages thing works but its fun when I get one from my granddaughter Christy. However, I digress. In dogs and
in us humans, age has nothing to do with learning. Learning is all about desire to do so and availing oneself to
the opportunities to learn when they are presented. Some may think that they know it all because they have achieved
a degree of maturity or have become a teenager, however, we can all learn some new tricks every once in a while.
In the world of Timesharing and/or Vacation Ownership there are a group of individuals with a certain level of
maturity who become involved in the Owners' Association that is affiliated with their home resort by becoming members
of its Board of Directors. These individuals (for the most part) are not professionals in the operation of Resorts
or Owner Associations; they are simply volunteers who willingly give of their time and individual expertise to
assist in the effective achievement of the purpose of the Association. In my years of involvement with these types
of individuals, I have never run across one that didn't want to do whatever was necessary in the best interest
of those whom they were elected to represent. Not all of these individuals are aware of the opportunities within
the Timeshare and/or Vacation Ownership industry to enhance their general knowledge about Association or Resort
Management or that annually the American Resort Development Association (ARDA) sponsors Regional Management Conferences
or Seminars, which provide such opportunities.
So far in this year (2002) such conferences or seminars have been held in New England and Hawaii, with upcoming
meetings in Arizona (July 14-15), Florida (August 21-22), and Rocky Mt. [Avon, Co.] (September 29-30). These conferences
or seminars are specifically designed to benefit Resort Management and Owner Association types. Members of Association
Boards will find the ARDA-Arizona Seminar especially geared toward Association affairs.
Final Thought
It is not my intent to place all Board Members for a Timeshare or Vacation Ownership Resort Owners Association
in the category of Old Dogs in need of some new tricks, however, it is my intent to reveal at least one new trick.
Through the good offices of ARDA's Resort Owners Coalition (ARDA-ROC) members of Association Boards of Directors
can obtain a scholarship to attend any one of the Regional Management Conferences or Seminars. This scholarship
covers the registration fee, which generally runs between $115 and $135. Now how's that for a new trick.
If you have an interest in finding out more about these scholarships or any one of the upcoming meetings feel free
to contact ARDA: Call (202) 371-6700 x 109 for details. We guarantee that you will not have to stand in the corner,
roll over, or say Mama to win this scholarship, however, you may have to sit.
