I recently celebrated my birthday and the present I received from Finn was a wall plaque which read:
“Advice from a dog:
- Greet your friends like they are the most important people in the world.
- Be loyal: protect your family.
- If it is something you want, chase it.
- Handle stress like a dog.
- If you can’t eat or play with it, pee on it and walk away.”
In looking at Finn’s “words of wisdom” I am not implying, by any stretch of the imagination, that dogs are perfect but I believe they can teach us humans a few things in the game of life.
True friends are worth their weight in gold so why not greet them in a way that reflects that. The enthusiasm that a dog shows on seeing someone who is visiting is, in my opinion, second to none. Whether they have not seen this person for 5 weeks or 5 minutes, dogs go all out to express their joy at reconnecting.
Loyalty is something that can take a long time to learn but can be lost in an instant. It is not in a dog’s DNA not to be loyal. They treasure your love and friendship and will protect you in the event they perceive someone is trying to harm you, sometimes excessively so. Dogs truly are part of the family structure and we should reciprocate their loyalty to us. It is sometimes said that you choose your friends, not your family. Have you ever thought what it must be like being a dog, where, at some point in their life, they become part of a human family, away from everything they have learnt thus far in their own life. Despite this upheaval, dogs rise to the challenge and become our most loyal friends.
Dogs live in the present and will not spend their time setting goals for the next 5 years. However, when they want something they will pursue it with much vim and vigour. You only need to watch Finn pursuing a squirrel or a magpie to recognize focus and commitment! And, despite not getting even close to catching said foe, his resolution is as strong the next time as it was the previous time. The life lesson here is to channel your efforts in a productive, energetic way towards something you want in life and not get discouraged. Dogs are fortunate in that the canine world is not forever telling them why something cannot be attained or they are foolish to pursue a goal. As humans we need to learn how to filter out the negative and focus on achieving our personal goals.
A certain amount of stress is good for us in as much as it gets “the blood flowing”. But, as we read everywhere, excessive stress can literally be a killer. Many people are still learning how to cope with stress and have yet to figure out which method(s) of de-stressing works for them. Wouldn’t it be great to be able to shake off stress the way dogs do? A full body length shake and dogs are reset.
The fifth and final piece of advice above is literally well and good for dogs but a figurative interpretation needs to be looked at from the human perspective. We have all known people who are a drain on our energy and are not a whole lot of fun to be around. I have always thought that we owe it to ourselves to look at our lives from time to time and ask whether we are happy/ content with the people we associate with. Maybe in the past we could relate to that person’s beliefs or view on life but now they simply weigh us down. As dogs do at the dog park, choose those you want to play/ associate with and let others go their own way. Not always easy to accomplish but worth it long term. As for peeing on them, not so much!
