Dogs as Angels

Written in reply to a post made to my Yahoo Teaching List from a WONDERFUL member.

> My jaw literally dropped. I swear to all that is holy that Jack was defying me. And I'm sure some part of his little

> brain knew that I was rushing to work, and he wanted to see what I'd do about his attitude when I was hurrying.


I suppose you could look at it like that if you want to. I usually have a hard time convincing humans that dogs are not hardwired for "defiance". That is a human trait and that trait would have a canine ousted from his pack tout de suite if he even grew out of puppyhood.

Or you can see your dog as your emotional health barometer. When is it, exactly, that he "tests" you?  When you are feeling confident and on top of your game??

Or does he start to "fall apart" a little when he sees you completely stressed out and just trying to get far too many things done in an impossible time frame??

I know I have said this before but I truly believe that our dogs are the Angels everyone searches for. They are sent here to teach us about patience, compassion, cooperation, communication, sacrifice, trust, loyalty and forgiveness among many things.

But most importantly, they are here to remind us that the "right now" could very well be the best of our lives and we had better enjoy it while we may. Many times it's a tough sell for our little Angels and we completely miss the point.
I know I often do. But sometimes I am blessed with "getting it".

When I am on my hands and knees scrubbing the floors and You Don't Know Jack, my new puppy, runs up behind me and pops up between my legs to plants a big kisses on my face before running off.   When I am sitting on my (uh . . er . . Sky's) office chair typing on my computer and she gets up, puts her paws on my shoulders and kisses the back of my ear. When I have been rushing around like a crazy person all day and I sit for a moment before rushing around all night and ReJack plops some torn up toy in my lap like some sparkling, wrapped gift and looks at me, eyes wide, shivering with the anticipated joy of a child at Christmas. You all know, you all have these moments.

But sometimes these aren't so much ignored by us as much as just missed. So getting drastic is the best thing a dog can figure do to remind us of how fragile it all is and how quickly it's all gone.

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