Be the person  who your dog loves.  

If you have a dog you know that they are always glad to see you. This is because they know you are wonderful. Your dog (and all dogs for that matter) know you to be a loving and kind person who is ready to pat them on the head at any time. They know that with you there is always a possibility of  spontaneous play or a brisk belly rub. So strive to be the person who your dog loves. 

The reason they know your good side is because they only have a good side. They don’t have any other reference point, therefore they presume that you are just like them. And you are. Maybe some of us from time to time have forgotten how to love unconditionally and play spontaneously, but they don’t know that. They always see the best in us and they bring it out. So lets try to live up to their expectations. 

They do not know that we have this capacity to get unhappy about an imagined future or a regretted past. They know NOW, now is great, let’s play, hey, rub my belly, that would be good. WOW can you smell that, a cat was here, and he ate a mouse earlier, wow cats are so weird, they are moody. Sniff, sniff, WOW can you smell that, a burger was in this room, yum. Burgers are great, Hey throw me this stick, .I dare you to try to take it away. Come on chase me, wag wag. 

Lets learn from them. Try to emulate their qualities. Their qualities are unflappable exuberance, trust, unconditional love, being totally present “Here and Now”, forgiving everything and being non judgmental. They have their priorities in order; love always, play whenever you can and get people involved. Overlook flaws in humans. Stay focused on how wonderful it is now. And right now is the time for adventure. They don’t try to control the world or make a difference and yet they make a fantastic difference with their happiness, ponder this, there is a clue here. They also have an amazing curiosity which they demonstrate when they get their sniffer on a trail of wonderful clues. 

Lets reverse it for a minute, instead of being the person your dog loves, be the dog your person loves. This may amaze your partner. Dog for a day: You could be a dog for a day and just drop the past and the future and look for play opportunities, have lots of curiosity and treat your spouse and friends the way a dog would. Yes, you could try to be the dog your person knows you to be. Make sure you greet them with total love and exuberance. Sniff in their ear, wag your tail a bit, try to get them to chase you, tickles are good, play catch, wrestle, biting is good if it’s not too hard, you can lay on the grass and pant, then roll onto you back and see if you can get a belly rub. A back rub will do.  

This is fun, I do it all the time. And I get pats on the head and an occasional back rub, some laughs and a bit of spontaneous play here and there. Try it. Dog for a day. Then go back to trying to control everyone and everything. Be a dog for a day and then get back to worry and stress, money and guilt, and fear and aggression the next day if you want.  

You have probably heard about the agnostic, dyslexic, insomniac who laid awake every night wondering if there was a DOG.  

There’s another clue. Yes GOD spelled backwards is DOG. Dogs are backwards in that they go counter to our way of living . But maybe it’s us humans who are backwards in our values. Maybe we should learn from them.