ON WITH THE SHOW! . . . "You've Gotta Have Heart"

There was something about him that stood out from the time he was born. Experienced breeders know what it is, but they can't always explain it to those uninitiated in the ways of Nature. Suffice it to say, there was a quality about him that could, if the gods smiled and all went well, make him a star.

It wouldn't be easy. From a bumbling baby, struggling to stand on his own, he would make it through all the trials facing a young animal in this world. He would untangle his legs, raise his head high and stare at the moon. He would sing to the gods and laugh at the clouds and race the wind. He would be what he was -- mind, body and soul. He would be an animal - nothing more, nothing less - chasing the mist of destiny.

All of us see, at one time or another, animals that catch our attention and stand out in a crowd. Call it a mysterious link - call it a deep, inner "knowing" - or call it love at first sight - we know when we feel it.

I've often wondered if everybody feels the same way in the presence of animals that electrify us this way. I don't have an answer to that, because we all seem to respond to something different. We could be at a pet expo, or a county fair or a dog show and each of us could be falling in love with a different entry. I could be saying "Can you believe that! Look how he moves!" and, right next to me, somebody else could be bored to death!

Much of this, of course, has to do with our own idea of what makes a good animal. It also has a lot to do with the chemistry crackling between owners or trainers and the attitude or spirit of the animals in their charge. But, no matter how the pieces of the puzzle fit together, we all feel it.

There are some animals ... graced by something almost other-worldly ... that just take your breath away. Those are the ones that almost everybody agrees on. You might be able to pick them apart and say this is "wrong" and that could be better, but, something makes it all work - even if it shouldn't. Those are the ones that last forever in our hearts.

Stories? I could tell you stories about pets and livestock and wildlife that would unravel for miles. If we were starting in New York and driving all the way to California, you wouldn't need a radio to keep you company because I'd be talking about famous, talented animals you know - and a zillion others you'll never meet. By the time we reached Los Angeles, you'd swear you knew their colors, their sires & dams and the mischief in their eyes.

What transports a bumbling puppy into a star like Lassie? What magic does it take to create a horse like Flicka, or Trigger or Secretariat? It takes more than you might imagine and more than many of us have, but it is impossible for the animals you love to change from obscurity into champions? It's not out of reach. Transforming the right animal into a star - making sure that bumbling baby grows into its full potential - is as possible as your willingness to do whatever it takes.

Many of us would say pedigree weeds out the losers. Still others would say it's all in the training. And most of us believe enough in our favorite feeds and nutritional supplements to praise them from the top of the highest mountain! But, training and nutrition can vary greatly and, much as I respect a good and honorable pedigree, some of us have learned that pedigrees are only as good as the people who write them. Pedigree, alone, doesn't make a legend.

As I often say, if you think of people and their pets as athletes or actors, then all we have to do is look to the masters of public entertainment for answers. Look to Hollywood directors, high-powered agents and Broadway producers. As they well know, great stars can hail from both sides of the tracks. But, we're talking about dogs and horses and cats and birds and exotic animals, you say. Yes, we are. But, we're also talking about the people who love them.

From the time a pet is born, it is your own creative power and desire that determine the feeding, training, grooming and outcome of its life. If you believe in an animal's chances for success - if you're lucky enough to find an animal that's really special - most of us would feel called upon to help that animal go as far in life as it can. Along the way, you learn all kinds of things. You study and figure things out because, maybe, nobody in your life ever made it to the top before and now you have to. Before you know it, you can advertise effectively, you can network with the best of them and you know every trick in the trade. Some you'll use; some you won't. But, at least you'll know about them.

We've mentioned pedigree, training, feeding and basic care, but we skipped over the biggest thing of all - the one thing you can affect more than anything else in the making of a champion. We didn't mention Heart. Did I mean the actual size of an animal's heart? Am I speaking about its weight and circumference? Not really. Yes, I've heard stories about animals with bigger-than-average hearts and some people say that's the secret of a champion. But, much as I, too, am fascinated by stories of the great Secretariat's unusually large heart, for example, I do not believe an oversized heart makes a champion. I don't believe it because each of the elements we've mentioned is like an ingredient going into a recipe. A little more of this, or a little less of that, will change the outcome of a whole life.

As we bring our animals into the world with each generation; as they struggle to nurse and we hold our breath and they unfold into the most beautiful things we've ever seen, know this: Only the greatness of your love can bring out the best in them. Only you can change a heart.