I\u2019m always going to be happy to see the people I care about. No, I\u2019m not going to lick them or smell their butt. But, I am going to let them know I\u2019m glad they’re there.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m going to be leery of strangers until someone I trust convinces me they’rere OK. (I probably don’t need to work on that one.)<\/p>\n
I’m going to growl at the stuff I don’t like, in a way that the stuff I don’t like will know, I don’t like it. Maybe then it will go away and stay away.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/xW9374_TAH_0169.jpg?resize=800%2C533\")
<\/p>\n
I\u2019m not going to really care what’s on TV.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m going to be more interested in lying down wherever I want, whenever I want, just for the purpose of lying down.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m going to be ready to play with the people I care about, even if I just woke up or even if I just laid down. Or, even if they were in a bad mood yesterday or if they have been ignoring me lately.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m going to care less about what my food looks like and more about how it smells.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m going to appreciate a good drink of water more than I used to.<\/p>\n
I might just take off running in no certain direction for no real reason at all. (Actually, I’ll probably walk. It might be a fast walk, but it’ll be a walk.)<\/p>\n
I\u2019m not going to be so worried about getting dirty, stepping in the mud, or how my hair looks.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m going to learn how to use that look to get attention. (I know that\u2019s selfish, but if it works..)<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Whiskey-5.jpg?resize=1000%2C667\")
<\/p>\n
I\u2019m also going to be less concerned about the animals I chase. Dogs don\u2019t evaluate trophy quality before they take after something, they just need<\/em> to catch something that does not want to get caught.<\/p>\n And, I\u2019m also not going to have a lot of toys. Dogs don\u2019t need a lot of toys, just a few good ones. (No, I’m not going to chew on my guns.)<\/p>\n Most of all, I\u2019m gong to be happy with what I\u2019ve got and run with my pack more often.<\/p>\n There. It’s simple. And, what makes it so easy is that if at anytime, I lose my resoulte way, I can just watch my dog for a bit and get right back on track.<\/p>\n We could all stand to be more like our dogs. After all, they’re man\u2019s best friend for a reason. It might result in more petting and we could all damn sure use more petting.<\/p>\n\n\n This year I am going to make the same\u00a0resolution I’ve made for the last four years. Its\u00a0really simple. My resolution for 2017 is to just be more like my dog.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":15114,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[2509,2579,2821,2522,2820],"tags":[397,207,398],"class_list":["post-7897","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-defense","category-editorial","category-empty-cases-exclusive","category-hunt","category-latest","tag-good-dogs","tag-hunting-dogs","tag-new-years-resolution"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/With-Dog.jpg?fit=350%2C525&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p5hujZ-23n","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":15834,"url":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/2020-new-years-resolution-same-as-always\/","url_meta":{"origin":7897,"position":0},"title":"2020 New Year’s Resolution – Same as Always","author":"gunwriter","date":"December 31, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"I\u2019ve never been much for New Year\u2019s resolutions. It seems sort of silly to wait until a specific day to make a promise to myself to do something that would be better for me, or might make me a better person. I\u2019m not saying you\u2019re stupid if you make one;\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "DEFENSE"","block_context":{"text":"DEFENSE","link":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/category\/defense\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/With-Dog.jpg?fit=350%2C525&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":7407,"url":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/lion-dogs-and-dreaming\/","url_meta":{"origin":7897,"position":1},"title":"Lion Dogs and Dreaming","author":"gunwriter","date":"August 9, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"The chances of me ever going to Africa to hunt lion are about as good as the chances of me ever being called upon to dispatch a lion that has escaped from a local zoo. Considering there are no local zoos near me, my chances are slim. I expect Kate\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "EDITORIAL"","block_context":{"text":"EDITORIAL","link":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/category\/editorial\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Lion1","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Lion1-300x280.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":11373,"url":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/nimrod-of-the-limpopo\/","url_meta":{"origin":7897,"position":2},"title":"Nimrod of the Limpopo","author":"gunwriter","date":"February 26, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"A hunter can have many partners throughout their life. Special memories can be created with friends and relatives but nothing can compare to the relationship that can develop between a hunter and a dog. Not just any dog, a special dog. Some hunting dogs are nothing more than tools but\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Empty Cases Exclusive"","block_context":{"text":"Empty Cases Exclusive","link":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/category\/empty-cases-exclusive\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Nimrod-8.jpg?fit=900%2C412&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Nimrod-8.jpg?fit=900%2C412&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Nimrod-8.jpg?fit=900%2C412&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Nimrod-8.jpg?fit=900%2C412&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":8686,"url":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/whats-missing\/","url_meta":{"origin":7897,"position":3},"title":"What’s Missing","author":"gunwriter","date":"March 31, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"I'll tell you what's missing; good stories that's what. Ruark like, Old Man and the Boy stories. Stories that made your eyes water or brought a smile to your face. Readers of the outdoor word have been blessed with a few good story tellers, I'm not one of them. Oh,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "HUNTING"","block_context":{"text":"HUNTING","link":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/category\/hunt\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Case-7","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/Case-7-1024x1011.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/Case-7-1024x1011.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/Case-7-1024x1011.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/Case-7-1024x1011.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":12148,"url":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/fair-chase\/","url_meta":{"origin":7897,"position":4},"title":"Fair Chase","author":"gunwriter","date":"September 22, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Hunting was never intended to be fair. It occurred naturally as a means for early man to stay alive and make poop. Domestication of the human species has turned hunting into sport and with that came the notion it must be fair \u2013 fair chase. What is fair chase? It\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"fair chase hunting\"","block_context":{"text":"fair chase hunting","link":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/tag\/fair-chase-hunting\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Moz-1","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/Moz-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/Moz-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/Moz-1.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/Moz-1.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":14160,"url":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/introducing-the-scout-rifle-study-a-web-book\/","url_meta":{"origin":7897,"position":5},"title":"Introducing: The Scout Rifle Study – A Web Book","author":"gunwriter","date":"January 12, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"The Scout Rifle Study is\u00a0a project that began so long ago I've forgotten when. It started as research for an article and morphed into an obsession that has consumed much of my time. When it was announced that the findings of the study would be published in book format I\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "DEFENSE"","block_context":{"text":"DEFENSE","link":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/category\/defense\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"SRS Logo 3 white","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/SRS-Logo-3-white-1024x506.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7897","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7897"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7897\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15832,"href":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7897\/revisions\/15832"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15114"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7897"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7897"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7897"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/W-2.jpg?resize=1000%2C1007&ssl=1\")