Dogs are remarkable creatures.
Some people might not like them. Some people outright hate them. But for so many of us who have been dog owners, dog lovers or dog whisperers, that buddy who is right there by your side, wants to go wherever you go, do whatever you do, show you unconditional love, be your therapist with the wet nose is akin to the star on top of the tree.
Dogs know how to exist in the world. Their language is a very literal one.
Every once in a great while, we get lucky and meet a dog that understands us and our world better than we do. They have skills and senses that exceed our wildest expectations.
I have enjoyed the company of many dogs. There have only been one or two that I would rather not be around. It wasn’t a question of whether the dog could understand me, but whether I could understand them.
Dogs are great teachers.
Dogs show us the importance of being direct and not assuming anything. They show us how to be confident, and although they can become difficult when exposed to abuse or trauma, they can learn how to recover and become whole again.
Dogs are good friends.
They do not judge you, but they will exercise caution until they can trust you. Some will figure you out right away as “not my kind of hooman” and they will let you know immediately. When a dog decides to keep you (oh, you thought it was the other way around?), you’re never going to be able to break that bond. Dogs decide, and then, for the rest of their lives, or for yours, the relationship remains. The dog will go the extra mile to problem-solve and bring you back from whatever dark place you’ve gone to, and they won’t give up. It is simply in their nature to rescue you from your misery.
Dogs can read your mood, and console you.
Even when they do not feel well, they will keep trying to help you get better from whatever has pulled you down. It is built in to the creature. Dogs do not desire sadness, and they do not understand it well, but they do understand you, and they want to restore their very important connection to you. It is paramount to them, and they need you to recover.
Our family went through a parade of furry friends crossing the Rainbow Bridge last Christmas. Yes, there were so many vet visits for all three, two dogs and one cat, and they ranged in age from 15 to 19 years. We keep our buddies a long, long time. Somehow, the universe knew that a hole was about to form the summer before our pets became terminally ill, and a new small friend decided to join us in our home. We didn’t go to a shelter, he found us, as a lost or stray fellow who didn’t have any collar, microchips, identifying marks or other means of locating his original home. He came, and even our dying dogs made besties with him before they left us. He now celebrates in a way that tells us, this was a spiritual plane not previously attained, and we have been shown kindness, healing and compassion.
How do dogs celebrate Christmas?
It isn’t the collection of gifts, or special doggie treats, or any one thing in particular — although our fifteen-year-old cattle dog could muster the interest and energy to painstakingly unwrap a present, tearing the paper off in pieces no bigger than a dime, ultimately dissecting the package until he got to the toy within. Watching all of them be together last year, having one final hurrah on this side of the Rainbow, made all the difference. Dogs celebrate whatever brings us joy. Dogs work to get us out of our blue funk. Being unhappy is just not acceptable to them, and they want us to be filled with the same enthusiasm they have, no matter how little they can bring to the table.
I’m very grateful to our friends and contributors who have posted photos here at Daily Kos. These dog pictures, and many others, are available in the DK library, and in these very weird, very dark moments, I highly suggest, if you like, or love, or adore dogs, surround yourself with them as much as you can.
We will need their love, their loyalty, their directness and their empathy to get us through these dark days of winter, and the coming storms of our own species screwed-up, increasingly insane behavior.
Peace to you all, keep posting, keep writing, keep expressing, and most of all, keep opening your hearts to the possibility of love, whatever your chosen species. We all need companionship. I hope you have yours, or that you will soon find them.
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