By Rich Weller

In today’s plugged-in, Facebook, technology overloaded society and culture, few of us live a dog’s life, but I know we’d be happier if we took a few life lessons from our faithful canine companions.

For most of my life I’ve been a dog owner. On the day I was brought home from the hospital my parents also brought home a puppy they named Duchess; she was a miniature German Shepherd who grew up with me. She was my dog, my faithful companion, who played and watched over me and my sister. I recall her biting a stranger on the buttocks once when we were about 7 & 8 years old. He came into our yard selling something, but apparently she sensed something else. She certainly was not a vicious or mean dog, but protective. She lived with us in the house for many years and as I grew older, and reflecting back now, she spent many years outside too. I’m not sure how she adjusted to us being with her, playing, romping as small children, and then us growing up and not paying much attention to her. There was no fence or invisible dog fence to keep her in the yard, but she would wait beside the mailbox at the end of our yard, and no further, waiting for me to get home from school. She would great me with the same excitement as if she hadn’t seen me in days, months, years. No matter how much or how little attention we shared with Duchess, when I called her name…she came running! She was a member of our family for 19 years.

Today, and 30 years later, our companion is Lacy, a female Short-haired Pointer that we adopted from the Winchester SPCA. My wife and I visited the SPCA on a whim one April day and not expecting to adopt a dog. We hurried through the kennels in about 15 minutes, and me not seeing any dogs that caught my eye, I was ready to leave and headed for the exit. My wife said; “Did you see the little black and white dog back in the corner kennel?” Obviously I had not and said…”Show me!” She was sitting there in the darkened kennel and you could hardly see her, she was sitting but leaning up against the cage watching everyone pass by. I poked my fingers through the front of the cage and she gave my fingers a few licks. I had to let her out and see her in the Greeting Room. That was when she decided to show us how much energy and appreciation she had. She jumped from my lap to my wife’s lap, back and forth…and that was that. She was adopted!

Even before Lacy, I’ve had the privileged of adopting several dogs. Each one has left their mark on me, and I feel that they’ve helped mentor me in someway. Here are some lessons that dogs have taught me.

“Dogs offer humans loyalty and companionship, and all they ask for in return is shelter, food, and love.
It’s not that complicated”.

Looks are deceiving

One day Lacy found some berries on our coffee table center piece. Apparently she decided to eat them and I didn’t find out about this until hours later, when I stepped in a puddle of dog vomit.

Just like Lacy, I’ve been deceived by things that look attractive but turn out not so good. Promises of greener grass on the other side of the fence, the sparkle of that new expensive thing, etc. have led me down the path to disappointment or regret more times than I can count. Just because something looks good doesn’t mean it’s is good.

Greet everyone with genuine excitement,
each and every time

Lacy assumes that everyone wants to be her friend. As soon as our door bell rings, or she eyes a stranger, anyone, she gets excited, tail starts wagging and jumping with the same excitement just like the first day we met her in the SPCA.

When you meet someone new, what’s the first thing that goes through your mind? Do you quickly take in their appearance and make a judgment about whether you’ll like them or whether they’ll like you? Do you avert your eyes and walk by so you won’t have to engage them in conversation? Instead of being wary of strangers, why not reach out to them? You might be missing out on the chance to make a new friend. They probably are not going to ask you for anything other than your name, if you don’t offer it to them.

Friendships should be made

Whenever Lacy goes outside in our yard, she goes to our fence line and meets with her canine comrades.

Our neighbor dogs and whoever gets there first gives a short “Woof!” and in minutes they all meet and run up and down the fence line for a few minutes.

I’ve been inspired by Lacy’s routine of checking in with her friends every day. Whether she’s woofing at the fence or rushing out to meet our human neighbors, Lacy always takes time to say “hello” before returning to the task at hand. It’s easy in today’s technology driven society to become disengaged with our neighbors and to foster cyber friendships rather than flesh-and-blood relationships.

“It’s important to take time and talk with people face to face, even if it’s just a quick “hello” over the fence.

Personal human interaction is important for a balanced, sane life.”

Sharing is fun

Lacy loves to play catch, fetch, and it doesn’t matter what you throw, she’s Game on!” One day I was throwing the ball to Lacy, enjoying a few minutes of tranquility and removing myself from a days work. I threw her ball and then stood in the freezing cold, waiting for her to bring it back. This time she decided to play “keep away,” dropping the ball a foot away from me and then snatching it back as soon as I reached for it. Apparently this was fun for her, but I was getting cold, so I headed back towards the house and told her I was going inside. She actually understands this and stood there with her head hanging down. It’s a sight you’d have to see to believe but she did not want to go in so soon.

So she rushed ahead and cut me off at the door, she dropped the ball and it rolled to my feet. She backed away to let me know she wasn’t going to snatch it away from me. I started thinking how many opportunities I’ve missed because I’ve been so busy playing “keep away” while someone was waiting to

work or play with me. How many times have I been clinging so hard to my own ideas that others just walked away? Life is a lot more fun when we share with others.

Take Time to Show Affection

I was lying on the floor with my eyes closed, following some exercising, when I felt warm dog breathe on my face. Before I could react, she was licking me in my eyes, nose, and mouth. I wasn’t in the mood to be bathed in dog spit, but as I started to push her away, I realized that I’d much rather be playing with her than exercising.

Sure, I needed to finish my exercising, but there was time to do that later. For now, it was time to horse play with the dog. Too often we’re so intent on sticking to our schedules that we don’t take time for a little unscheduled affection. Maybe someone close to you just needs a moment, so connect with a kiss and a

hug. My wife may disagree but every so often, and at random, I’ll stop what I’m doing or interrupt her to give her a hug and a little kiss. So, when the moment arises, stop what you’re doing and share an affectionate moment with someone you love.

Work Hard but don’t forget to nap

I use to work from home and was sitting at the computer, my stress mounting as my projects mounted.

Then I looked down and saw Lacy lying at my feet, sound asleep amidst the clacking of my keyboard, phone ringing, and papers falling to the floor as I searched for my notes. I envied her nap time.

A dog’s approach to life could really teach us a lot about rest, peace, and success. When Lacy is working, she’s completely focused, whether she’s playing catch or chasing the squirrels away from our bird feeders.

When she’s playing, the only thing on her mind is retrieving the Frisbee, the ball, stick, etc. When she’s finished she has no problem lying down and taking a nap. She’s not distracted by deadlines and works when it’s required, rests when she’s tired, and plays with energy. That’s the kind of balance we all need in our lives.

Every Mess Needs to Be Cleaned Up Eventually

Lacy doesn’t mind baths, but I procrastinated for several months, the dirt and stink had reached a crisis point. So I broke down, gathered the towels and shampoo and called “bath time”, and she came running and jumped in the shower, ready for her bath.

She was filthy, and it took several cycles of lathering and rinsing before there was no more dirt and hair going down the drain. When he was finally clean, I spent a half hour drying her fur. Lacy’s bath reminded me of things in my life that needed cleaning up, from organizing my office to paying bills to mending a shaky friendship. All of them needed to be handled, but I was learning that the longer I procrastinated, the harder and longer it was to clean up the messes.

Be Willing to Forgive

Lacy loves to look out our windows and watch the world, and while he knows that he’s not supposed to, sometimes she can’t help herself. When I leave the house, I’ll come home and there will be dirt on the floor that’s been knocked out of my wife’s flowers that sit under our windows. Rather than wait for me to scold her, she’ll meet me as I come home. She’ll sit at my feet, with her head lowered in a woe is me expression.

I know she was in the window, and she knows that I know she was in the window. Yet, her woe is me look is so precious that I can’t be mad. I just pat her on the head, tell her mommy won’t be happy, and clean up the dirt. Everyone is happy. Like Lacy, I’ve learned that it’s better to own up to my mistakes, rather than try and cover them up. They’ll get found out sooner or later, so it’s better to admit my errors and ask for forgiveness instead of worrying until I’m caught.

If you’ve never owned a dog, I’m certain you have missed out on learning some of life’s greatest lessons and wonderful relationships.