If Dogs Could Talk

[rax]

If Dogs Could Talk
( or What we can learn from dogs)

* When loved ones come home, always run to greet them.

* Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joyride.

* Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure ecstasy.

* When it's in your best interest, practice obedience.

* Let others know when they've invaded your territory.

* Take naps and stretch before rising.

* Run, romp, and play daily.

* Thrive on attention and let people touch you.

* Avoid biting, when a simple growl will do.

* On warm days, stop to lie on your back on the grass.

* On hot days, drink lots of water and lay under a shady tree.

* When you're happy, dance around and wag your entire body.

* No matter how often you're scolded, don't buy into the guilt thing and pout... run right back and make friends.

* Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.

* Eat with gusto and enthusiasm. Stop when you have had enough.

* Be loyal.

* Never pretend to be something you're not.

* If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.

* When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by and nuzzle them gently.

 

[Roy]

Thank you for posting that nugget of inspiration! I have a copy of it somehwere in a pile of papers and had thought earlier what a great piece it would be for this site. You beat me to it. Wouldn't it be nice if these were all the guidelines anyone needs?

 

[Wuamei]

And some people call dogs "dumb" animals!

Thanks Rax for sharing that.

Maybe there is hope that dogs can teach old people new tricks!

Wuame

 

[asher]

Interesting. Whenever I read a description of normal dogs, I'm always taken aback. My dog doesn't run, she doesn't go for joyrides, and until recently she didn't know how to play. I have a 4-year-old beagle named Jeanie who was abused before we got her, and like an abused person, she has a difficult time doing what comes naturally for most dogs.

Yet even though she is a wounded soul, I'm constantly amazed by my dog's resiliency. Although she was certainly neglected and probably beaten, she hasn't turned mean or angry. She still walks up to strangers like they are her best friends (although sometimes she does so with her tail between her legs). She is quick to trust, and in the last year she has really come a long way in terms of her timidness. Kind of like me...

asher

 

[Lloydy]

Rax
I love that, and why not include "lie on your back and get your belly rubbed"

"Woof woof"
Dave

 

[Wuamei]

Dave, my wife does that for me, and my right leg twitches!

Wuame

 

[Wuamei]

Asher, those are some deep observations & insights; thanks for sharing your experience & a bit of yourself with us.

Now I know why I've always befriended the stray, abused, outcast dogs particularly. I've always favored the "underdog"...

Wuame

 

[The Dean]

Thanks Rax,

That is a treasure of common sense wisdom.

Bob

 

[rax]

Thanks everyone.

I found these sweet words in my old mailbox and thought they were good to share.
Dogs may be "dumb" animals, but they sure are the sweetest.

Asher,
Im so glad your dog found you. Give Jeanie a hug from me.

I've always brought strays home. Parrots, pigeons, crows, snakes, owls, dogs, cats, chicken, the list goes on.

For a long long time, a parrot with a broken wing was my loving friend. He was found in a gutter, and I brought him home and nursed him to health. I had taught him how to open his cage door, so he roamed about the house, and went to his cage only to sleep and eat. Sometimes he would sit on my pillow while I slept, (like a guardian angel). He loved climbing up the curtain and perching himself in the folds between the curtain rings.
He'd sit on my shoulder and we'd take long walks in the garden.
The sad times were when a bunch of parrots would fly by and he would squawk and flutter his wings, but was not able to fly and join them.

Whenever I bought him a companion, he would open the cage and let his companion free. This happened thrice, and then I gave up. I guess he valued their right to freedom more than his need of companionship.

I loved Gaju. May his soul rest happily in parrot heaven.