Stolen Hearts and Doggy Farts

I wonder why dogs are such excellent judges of character. It’s hard to believe that one’s true identity becomes transparent when smelling their behind- I’m not a professional by any stretch of the imagination, but I don’t think that’s it. I think that’s just how dogs figure out who’s been doing what on whose territory. It’s my understanding that dogs communicate with one another through postures. Subtleties say a lot; ears back, tail up, but there are also obvious stances like pouncing, lying down or rolling over. Every breed of dog, domesticated or stray, even wolves share this body language. Do they have our body language figured out as well? We don’t have big ears that perk up with curiosity and I’ve never seen anyone submissively roll over and expose their belly. I have two large mutts. One we adopted as a puppy from an unexpected litter, and the other we rescued from a foster program a few months later. After introducing the two, playful puppy and frightened rescue, dad had to take the rescue to the local shelter for shots and licensing. Oh how that puppy cried when he was left on the other side of the door! Just one afternoon and the two were inseparable. That high energy, into everything puppy sat by the door and whimpered until daddy returned with his new pack member.

Is that the same loyalty that bonds us with our pets? Human beings are an amazing species, but I don’t think we are spiritually in-tuned enough to choose our animal companions. I think we all know that they choose us. They guard us, cuddled us, play with us, keep us fit, make us laugh, they forgive us when we fall short, it’s unconditional love- whether we deserve it or not. How do they choose us? How can they tell my tired, slumped shoulders, from someone else’s? When my jaw is tensed up with my lousy temperament, why don’t they avoid me or get defensive like everyone else? My impression is that my heart pounds just as much when I’m angry as it does when I’m scared, but somehow my dogs know the difference and it has nothing to do with how the back of my pants smell. Call it an aura, electromagnetism or sixth-sense, animals know that who we are outweighs what we do-which might make them smarter than us. We label people; adults and children a like – high maintenance, trouble makers, slow, criminals, push-overs, poor-sports, etc. People are quick to define one another by how they act or react. Regardless of how an animal senses these things, there is something noble in their discernment. Don’t get me wrong, even the most amazing creatures have their, let’s say “quirks”. For years, the man of my house was my dog, Skyler. He would tuck me in at night, lay near me until I fell asleep, and then sleep in the doorway of my bedroom. I couldn’t ever close the door, because he knew how to open it, and for whatever reason, he insisted it stayed that way. Whenever I was depressed or sad, Skyler would put his head under my hand, or my arm and stick his sweet face in mine. He had unfailing patience for sticky hands in his fur, toddlers pulling his tail, or babies grabbing his face. I never had to look for him because he was always by my side. BUT- Skyler did not like other dogs. I always had to be very careful when we were out and about, because if another dog crossed our path, Skyler would act aggressively. That was his thing, for my hundreds of things. Skyler did that one thing. We modified our routine and eventually practiced some solicialization skills, but overall, he was never really fond of other dogs. Still, I wouldn’t change one thing about who he was- I loved him, just like he taught me to. In all reality, when it comes to obedience training, or “puppy-garten” – as they called it; I think that animals just let us think that we are training them. What they are actually doing is teaching us something, leading us by example. My dogs say to love unconditionally, be loyal, remember all the amazing things about your people, quickly forget their mistakes and play often. (Also- my dog says that the mailman should mind his own business! What’s he doing! What! What! What! Why does he have to be bringing all those things that stress out his people! Hey! He means it! Hey! Hey!) When the right pet chooses you, it’s like finding a piece of your soul that you didn’t know existed. They don’t just find that piece, that piece is who they are. When they pass away, they leave that piece with you, in a very special place that’s very hard to describe. It’s the same place that random smiles come from, the place where seemingly benign objects remind you of something precious, it’s that place where happy tears gather with fond memories. They don’t often times outlive you. They will break your heart when they go. Most of all, they are rarely “perfect”, but let an animal chose you and your life will forever be changed for the better.