Monday, March 22, 2010
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Friday, March 12, 2010
The Heart of a Dog
My purpose on this planet is to love. Will you love me? Even if you don’t, I will love you. I will love you because I am a dog and that is what we do as dogs. We love. That is our humble errand and purpose on this planet. We are the zen masters reincarnated to teach unconditional love. And, you humans are our chosen companions to love. We chose you and have led you to believe that we need you. That is because you have egos and we don’t. We don’t mind. We are here to teach you. We are here to be examples of unconditional love and humility. It is our mission and our hope that it is not too late to influence you humans and show you just how wonderful the world could be if we all just wagged more and barked less. We are the masters of the universe when it comes to unconditional love. That is what our destiny is ordained by God. And, we don’t even need credit, recognition or awards for it. For loving is what we do best. And, although we are humble and seemingly beneath you in status, under your rule, we surrender to you out of choice, because that is our station in life, to serve through humility and to love.
Even if you are not worthy, I trust you and I am willing to give you all of me heart, soul and body and surrender my will to you. You have the power and control and that is okay with me. So, please be kind to me. For I feel pain even though I may not show it. That is what we do to protect ourselves. But, I do feel physical and emotional pain and disappointment. Even if you abuse and neglect me, I will still love you. But, there will be wounds that develop that will need healing, if I must endure neglect and abuse at your hand. But even then, I will still love. I will hurt and you may break my heart, my bones or my spirit but with love in return, I can pretty much heal from almost anything if given the time and good old fashion love and care.
I would prefer however, to be loved and cared for in return by a trustworthy, strong and calm leader of my pack. But, if you are all I have for my pack, I will accept it, because I am a dog and have a heart full of unconditional love that must be expressed even to the undeserving. We do not discriminate when it comes to something as important as loving. I can’t discriminate or sensor. I can’t reject or judge. It simply is not in my nature. I can tolerate a lot but, all I really want is a secure position in your pack, direction, companionship, affection and love. And in exchange, I will love you unconditionally and be the most loyal friend you will ever have in your life. The added benefits will be a life of entertainment, fun and amusement for you and for me. For when I feel loved and safe and my needs are met, there is nothing I won’t do to show you how grateful I am. Just show me, tell, train me but most of all learn to love me and you will receive blessings you can’t even imagine.
I am a dog and I need to love. I also need to be loved. But, that is not a prerequisite for me loving unconditionally with abandon and enthusiasm, the likes of which a human could only aspire too. I am a dog, and therefore a lover of life. There really isn’t much more to say. I am here to love and be loved and teach love through my example.
Oh and by the way, my heart is more vulnerable than you may be aware of and my mind more alert and cognizant than you give me credit for. So please consider that the next time you may raise a hand in anger or move somewhere where I am not welcome or yell at me for something I don’t understand. It hurts and I do feel it. My heart breaks whenever you are not happy with me or hurt me but I forgive quickly and easily. You don’t ever have to worry about me holding a grudge. We just don’t do that. Another one of God’s great design features hard wired into us dogs. We just forgive, shake it off and move on. We like being in the present moment with no regrets. It is simpler and more fun that way.
Did you know that it scares me when you leave me too? Will you come back? I have to admit we do have abandonment issues. We dogs are just hard wired that way. It is a survival thing in our DNA. We never know and just wait and wait and wait, hoping for your return. Every time you do come back to me, I am so very grateful! Thank you for having me in your pack and providing and protecting me. There was a time when I could do that for myself but since I chose to surrender my will to you, I agreed to trust you in exchange for my surrender. We have a deal you and me. You lead, provide for and protect and I will love you and be your loyal companion and friend and probably surprise you when you need me most and least expect it.
The important thing is to love and hopefully be loved in return. The challenge is loving without condition and hopefully receiving love in return but if not, to keep loving and loving and loving anyway, not in hopes of getting something in return. I love because it is as natural to me as breathing. I can’t help myself. I am a dog and therefore, I love. I need to love. I can’t help myself. I have to love no matter what your response may be. Do you see? It isn’t conditional because I can’t help myself. I have to love because I am a dog. And, to be a dog means to love unconditionally. Think about is. What is dog spelled backwards? G-O-D. There are no accidents, God intended for us to be the teachers of unconditional love. We are dogs therefore we love.
Even if you are not worthy, I trust you and I am willing to give you all of me heart, soul and body and surrender my will to you. You have the power and control and that is okay with me. So, please be kind to me. For I feel pain even though I may not show it. That is what we do to protect ourselves. But, I do feel physical and emotional pain and disappointment. Even if you abuse and neglect me, I will still love you. But, there will be wounds that develop that will need healing, if I must endure neglect and abuse at your hand. But even then, I will still love. I will hurt and you may break my heart, my bones or my spirit but with love in return, I can pretty much heal from almost anything if given the time and good old fashion love and care.
I would prefer however, to be loved and cared for in return by a trustworthy, strong and calm leader of my pack. But, if you are all I have for my pack, I will accept it, because I am a dog and have a heart full of unconditional love that must be expressed even to the undeserving. We do not discriminate when it comes to something as important as loving. I can’t discriminate or sensor. I can’t reject or judge. It simply is not in my nature. I can tolerate a lot but, all I really want is a secure position in your pack, direction, companionship, affection and love. And in exchange, I will love you unconditionally and be the most loyal friend you will ever have in your life. The added benefits will be a life of entertainment, fun and amusement for you and for me. For when I feel loved and safe and my needs are met, there is nothing I won’t do to show you how grateful I am. Just show me, tell, train me but most of all learn to love me and you will receive blessings you can’t even imagine.
I am a dog and I need to love. I also need to be loved. But, that is not a prerequisite for me loving unconditionally with abandon and enthusiasm, the likes of which a human could only aspire too. I am a dog, and therefore a lover of life. There really isn’t much more to say. I am here to love and be loved and teach love through my example.
Oh and by the way, my heart is more vulnerable than you may be aware of and my mind more alert and cognizant than you give me credit for. So please consider that the next time you may raise a hand in anger or move somewhere where I am not welcome or yell at me for something I don’t understand. It hurts and I do feel it. My heart breaks whenever you are not happy with me or hurt me but I forgive quickly and easily. You don’t ever have to worry about me holding a grudge. We just don’t do that. Another one of God’s great design features hard wired into us dogs. We just forgive, shake it off and move on. We like being in the present moment with no regrets. It is simpler and more fun that way.
Did you know that it scares me when you leave me too? Will you come back? I have to admit we do have abandonment issues. We dogs are just hard wired that way. It is a survival thing in our DNA. We never know and just wait and wait and wait, hoping for your return. Every time you do come back to me, I am so very grateful! Thank you for having me in your pack and providing and protecting me. There was a time when I could do that for myself but since I chose to surrender my will to you, I agreed to trust you in exchange for my surrender. We have a deal you and me. You lead, provide for and protect and I will love you and be your loyal companion and friend and probably surprise you when you need me most and least expect it.
The important thing is to love and hopefully be loved in return. The challenge is loving without condition and hopefully receiving love in return but if not, to keep loving and loving and loving anyway, not in hopes of getting something in return. I love because it is as natural to me as breathing. I can’t help myself. I am a dog and therefore, I love. I need to love. I can’t help myself. I have to love no matter what your response may be. Do you see? It isn’t conditional because I can’t help myself. I have to love because I am a dog. And, to be a dog means to love unconditionally. Think about is. What is dog spelled backwards? G-O-D. There are no accidents, God intended for us to be the teachers of unconditional love. We are dogs therefore we love.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Dogs are Better than People- continued
Dogs are better than people continues. As I think off all the wonderful characteristics of my own dogs as I watch them play, sleep and eat, I become more convinced of their superior characters.
They are authentic about who they are and what they need. Have you ever witnessed a dogs trying to be a cat or feeling insecure it was a dog? Perhaps there is insecurity about how someone has treated them as a dog but never for just simply being a dog.
The thing I am amused by most about dogs is how in the present moment they are and how easily they literally shake things off after a little scuff with another. They could be growling and fighting with another dog one minute, then shaking it off and ready to play the next. They don't hold grudges. They forgive, forget and move on, giving you another chance to love and engage with them.
ANother thing I absolutely adore about dogs is that they are always happy to see you when you return home, no matter how long it has been since you left. They never interrogate you about where you were and what other dogs you've been seeing, demanding to know whose smell is that on your clothes? Which could be a problem when you're a pet sitter and around other dogs all day long. My dogs even seem grateful that I have brought home some new and interesting smells for them to gorge their sniffers on when I first arrive home. Ah, yes, dogs are better than people in so many delightful ways. Tell me one of your fun stories about how dogs are better than people for you.
They are authentic about who they are and what they need. Have you ever witnessed a dogs trying to be a cat or feeling insecure it was a dog? Perhaps there is insecurity about how someone has treated them as a dog but never for just simply being a dog.
The thing I am amused by most about dogs is how in the present moment they are and how easily they literally shake things off after a little scuff with another. They could be growling and fighting with another dog one minute, then shaking it off and ready to play the next. They don't hold grudges. They forgive, forget and move on, giving you another chance to love and engage with them.
ANother thing I absolutely adore about dogs is that they are always happy to see you when you return home, no matter how long it has been since you left. They never interrogate you about where you were and what other dogs you've been seeing, demanding to know whose smell is that on your clothes? Which could be a problem when you're a pet sitter and around other dogs all day long. My dogs even seem grateful that I have brought home some new and interesting smells for them to gorge their sniffers on when I first arrive home. Ah, yes, dogs are better than people in so many delightful ways. Tell me one of your fun stories about how dogs are better than people for you.
Monday, February 1, 2010
Storm Anxiety in Dogs
It's thunderstorm season and with thunderstorms comes, well thunder! Like fireworks during the 4th of July, thunder can be a very scary thing for some dogs while others are oblivious. If you've read or seen the movie "Marley and Me," you are aware of poor Marley's extreme fear of thunderstorms to the point of mass destruction! When dogs are afraid they are thrown into their basic animal instincts of fight or flight. They are either searching to take cover somewhere they feel safe or they may go on a wild frenzy of destruction trying to escape their fear. In either case, your poor canine companion is experiencing extreme stress.
What makes storm anxiety so terrifying for our sweet canine companions is that they have no one to fight and in most cases no where to flight to, so they are imprisoned with no relief of this debilitating fear. They can’t see or smell the object of their fear so there isn’t a way for them to check it out for themselves to satisfy their curiosity or conquer their fear. There is no escape!
Can you imagine being terrified and not having any where to run to or no control over your escape to a safer place? It is up to us to take this fear seriously and help our furry family member adjust through training, as well as providing a safe environment to help comfort them through the worse part of the thunderstorm. Playing soothing music in the back ground to help drown out some of the thunder noises helps. But, oddly enough trying to comfort them usually doesn't. Dogs can be trained out of their fears and should never be allowed to dominate you or your household by holding you prisoner to their fears. The remedy is to find a qualified dog trainer to help train you on how to work with your canine companion to hopefully either eliminate their fear all together or at least minimize it substantially. This will help them be more at peace and cope better during the stormy season as well as help strengthen the bond between you and your favorite furry friend. Sometimes, if the fear is beyond reproach you can ask your vet to prescribe your dog a mild sedative or find an herbal tincture that may help calm your little pal down until the storms pass. One way or the other, your dog is worth the time and attention it will take to help them overcome or, at the very least, lessen their fear of thunderstorms. And perhaps, you won’t be singing in the rain together, but maybe sitting in front of a nice warm fire peacefully enjoying each other’s company instead. Life is short, wag more, bark less!
What makes storm anxiety so terrifying for our sweet canine companions is that they have no one to fight and in most cases no where to flight to, so they are imprisoned with no relief of this debilitating fear. They can’t see or smell the object of their fear so there isn’t a way for them to check it out for themselves to satisfy their curiosity or conquer their fear. There is no escape!
Can you imagine being terrified and not having any where to run to or no control over your escape to a safer place? It is up to us to take this fear seriously and help our furry family member adjust through training, as well as providing a safe environment to help comfort them through the worse part of the thunderstorm. Playing soothing music in the back ground to help drown out some of the thunder noises helps. But, oddly enough trying to comfort them usually doesn't. Dogs can be trained out of their fears and should never be allowed to dominate you or your household by holding you prisoner to their fears. The remedy is to find a qualified dog trainer to help train you on how to work with your canine companion to hopefully either eliminate their fear all together or at least minimize it substantially. This will help them be more at peace and cope better during the stormy season as well as help strengthen the bond between you and your favorite furry friend. Sometimes, if the fear is beyond reproach you can ask your vet to prescribe your dog a mild sedative or find an herbal tincture that may help calm your little pal down until the storms pass. One way or the other, your dog is worth the time and attention it will take to help them overcome or, at the very least, lessen their fear of thunderstorms. And perhaps, you won’t be singing in the rain together, but maybe sitting in front of a nice warm fire peacefully enjoying each other’s company instead. Life is short, wag more, bark less!
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