We
are in the dead of winter here at the farm and this winter has been one for the
books. As I set here next to the window,
I hear the roar of the season from the wind and as I look outside, even though it
is sunny on this Saturday, I see the snow blowing sideways from the 35 mile an hour
wind that seems constant. But there is a
peace about it as I look down and see several dogs laying at my feet. Just last night Keely, a guest dog was next
to me on the couch with her front paws and head in my lap as I stroked her head
and she deeply slept. Dutchess was
between my legs, stretched from one end of the recliner to the other and I too rubber her head. She watched me for the longest time, not
wanting to give it up for sleep, but she did.
Clancy had curled himself up in a dog bed in front of the TV. He was sound asleep and was dreaming, and I
know this because I watched him run and chase rabbits in his dreams.
Several
nights ago, Meg was in and as always, she would sit close to me and “paw” my
hand to get me to rub her, and when I do, her eyes would drift into the back of
her head and she seems to be in paradise.
Everyone has a routine to get attention one way or another, but the
worse is Gabby…on a dead run, she will run toward me and at about 8 feet away,
she will leap into my lap. This is very
cute if you are prepared for it, but when you’re asleep, this can be the
fastest you ever woke up. In addition to
the leaping, she will roll in your lap, one minute she is curled up like a ball
and five seconds later, she’s on her back and her feet are straight up in the
air and will do this for hours, but all of the dogs can root their nose under your arm and keep it up
until you have to rub their head. This
must be a Border collie requirement because I have always seen it happen and in
a way, they need it. It’s
very comforting to have the dogs nuzzle, paw, cuddle and snuggle with you and I
am so glad they do. Not only is the
Border Collie the Smartest
dog breed it is the most loyal dog, but then if you have one, you know this...
As
Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson so beautifully writes in Dogs Never Lie About Love,
"Learning to know somebody intimately is often the beginnings of dislike,
sometimes even of contempt. Among humans, love often does not survive a growing
acquaintance, but in a dog, love seems to grow with acquaintance, to get
stronger, deeper. Even when fully acquainted with all our weaknesses, our
treachery, our unkindness, the dog seems to love strongly — and this dog love
is returned by most humans. We, too, seem to love our dogs the more we get to
know them. The bond grows between us and our dogs."
This
is why we need dogs, not only do they fill a void, hopefully, we fill their
needs too. They do something for us that
rarely a human can do. No matter how messy your life gets, no matter how many
mistakes you make or how often you make them, regardless of your looks, income
or social standing, your dog never judges you. They always thinks you are
wonderful and loves you with all their heart.
It’s late Saturday night and as I am finishing up this writing, one of the dog’s jumps up, putting its paws on my chair and it suddenly it came to me. I turned and welcomed the dog into my lap and thought about this moment. This is not for me, it’s for the dog. “They” need the attention, love, kindness and compassion from us. I always thought it was the other way around and they give to us but it works both ways, and I don't always see it. I hugged her as long as she wanted and wonder, do I give enough…
"Dogs
are minor angels, and I don't mean that facetiously. They love unconditionally,
forgive immediately, are the truest of friends, willing to do anything that
makes us happy. If we attributed some of
those qualities to a person we would say they are special. If they had ALL of
them, we would call them angelic. But because it's "only" a dog, we
dismiss them as sweet or funny but little more. However when you think about
it, what are the things that we most like in another human being? Many times
those qualities are seen in our dogs every single day-- we're just so used to
them that we pay no attention". Jonathan
Carroll
Let's think about it...
Ken
Ken
