I originally wrote this in July 2011. Since then Forest has been joined by Tiger, our brindle Boxer. Tiger is special - in the "short bus" sense - and has simply strengthened my feeling about the four-legged family members.
I believe dogs are the epitome of trust and faith. That is,
in current civilization. Pre-civilization (and in some countries still) they
were like all other wild animals, fending for themselves for food and shelter.
Nowadays, they are our pets with many being, like mine, more a part of the
family than “just a dog”. They rely on us for the basics as well as for
companionship, love and fun. They wait patiently at home for us to get off work
and wag tail incessantly when we do, hoping for just a minute or two of love,
hugs and playtime.
Our dog is a Boxer. His name is Forest. He’s crazy, bouncy
and playful. He is more like our furry, four-legged, mute son than our dog. We
took a good amount of time and effort to train him which is very important. A
dog’s only way of communicating with a person, and vice versa, can only be
accomplished via training. And the easiest way to do this is for the person to
understand how the dog thinks. We attended a training class when Forest was 6
months old that gave us the invaluable knowledge of a dogs’ point of view. Dogs
have A.D.D. That’s just the way they are. Boxers have extreme A.D.D. and baby
Boxers can’t focus to save their lives. So, little Forest graduated from his
6-week class, and, while I could tell he retained the knowledge, he was still
too young to focus for any given amount of time. So, we continued working with
him every day and he progressed perfectly.
I take Forest running with me every weekday morning. The
exercise is excellent for him (and me, for that matter!) and definitely makes
him a much happier dog. Dogs with no outlet for their energy tend to find other
means of keeping themselves busy – like eating shoes or digging holes or
barking incessantly. I truly believe that we have never had any behavior issues
with him because we’ve always looked at exercise as a very basic need for him.
I’m sure the collection of chew toys helped, too.
The single, most valuable thing that Forest has taught me is
to seize the day – as they say, “Carpe Diem”. He lives in the moment. For a
dog, of course, that’s a very easy thing to do. For a person, it’s not so
simple. We have jobs and kids and bills to worry about. “I can’t possibly take
the time for [insert your activity of choice here], I have dinner to fix and
then dishes and laundry to do and lawn to mow…” Personally, I used to tie
myself up in all the have-to’s and not only did it need to be done, but done
correctly and well. (I have a “touch” of OCD.) I’ve learned that laundry is not
life and death. If I plan well, we get dinner done easily in the evening. The
house will not fall down if I don’t vacuum today. I didn’t used to know these
things. I see life more through Forest’s eyes. If it’s nice outside, GO
outside. There’s likely a sweet flower to smell. Or, in Forest’s case, a tree
to pee on.
What has your pet taught you?
