Not just a brag, not just a stepping stone to a higher title, not just an adjunct to competitive scores, a title is a tribute to the dog that bears it, a way to honor the dog, an ultimate memorial. It will remain, in the record and in the memory, for about as long as anything in this world can remain. Few humans will do as well or better in that regard.

And though the dog himself doesn't know or care that his achievement has been noted, a title says many things in the world of humans, where such things count.

A title says that your dog was intelligent, and adaptable, and good-natured. It says that your dog loved you enough to do the things that pleased you, however crazy they may have sometimes seemed.

And a title says that you loved your dog, that you loved to spend time with him because he was a good dog, and that you believed in him enough to give him yet another chance when he failed, and that, in the end, your faith was justified.

A title proves that your dog inspired you to that special relationship enjoyed by so few; that in a world of disposable creatures, this dog with a title was greatly loved, and loved greatly in return.

And when that dear short life is over, the title remains as a memorial of the finest kind, that best you can give to a deserving friend, volumes of praise in one small set of initials after the name.

An obedience title is nothing less than the love and respect, given and received and permanently recorded."

by Sandy Mowery