Seven Divine Gifts from Our Canine Friends

by Diane Morgan
Copyright Science of Mind, September 2004
Reprinted with permission.

It's fairly easy to see both the "wolf' and the "human" in the domestic dog. But where is the "divine"? For the domestic dog is clearly a being in his own right, neither human (although he has our feelings) nor wolf. I think the strange combination of wolf and human works a peculiar alchemy upon us, the keepers. It enables the discerning person to perceive that our relationship with this familiar other bears a strange, mirroring likeness to that of our relationship with divine creation.

I'm convinced that the dog is more than our creature. He is our teacher too. Every moment of their lives dogs have something to teach human beings about healing, responsibility, enthusiasm, forgiveness, love, grace, and of course, laughter. The dog is no ordinary animal, and on him, as on us, the divinity has laid Its loving hand. We mistake the world if we find God only in ourselves or in abstractions like truth and love and power. The creative spirit of the universe reveals itself every instant in every particle of being. But to see it crystal clear, and in language only a robot could not read-take a look at the family dog.

The Gift of Healing

We've known for some time that simply petting or even just being around a dog lowers blood pressure, reduces stress, and even enhances longevity (people with pets live longer). Petting an animal is a rhythmic, repetitive activity that can serve as a passive meditative focus. (Even watching fish swim in a bowl is soothing, as many dentists have discovered.)

Talking to our dogs is a great way to unload our fears and other unwanted feelings. Dogs are excellent listeners (especially after supper) and do not bore us with their own tales of woe. Besides, they never give us bad advice and are always on our side.

Dogs can even work to heal more serious psychological problems. New research from the University of Missouri-Columbia indicates that the hormonal changes that occur when humans and dogs interact may help people cope with depression and certain stress-related disorders. A few minutes of petting one's dog triggers release of several "feel good" hormones like serotonin, prolactin and oxytocin, while decreasing the level of cortisone, a primary stress hormone.

Dogs also help people make new friends. Many studies have shown that the very presence of a dog by your side (assuming he is behaving reasonably nicely) puts other people at ease. Dogs are "social lubricants" that can provide a safe lead-in to conversation, "My, what a pretty dog! What kind is he?" Peter Messent of the Animal Studies Center in London studied the behavior of people walking through a park. He learned that when they had a dog with them, they engaged in more social activity than when they walked alone. Apparently walking a dog makes both the walker and those he meets feel more comfortable.

It seems that a dog's ability to heal and calm us is not a learned behavior-but something hardwired in. It is perhaps a most subtle reminder from the cosmos that we are not alone, that we share our earth, air, and water with another incarnation of spirit.

The Gift of Responsibility

Responsibility is a sober gift, but one that unites caregiver and canine. Once we take compassion upon a fellow being and decide to share our lives with him, our journey into spiritual maturity is just beginning. All dogs are in the power of human beings. No longer wolves, they cannot fend for themselves in the wild. They depend upon us for care and sustenance. Our dogs will never grow up, get married, or embark on a lucrative career. They remain our loving dependents all their lives.

In their role as companions, dogs teach us to be responsible stewards of our worldly stuff. My dog Mugwump, for instance, taught me to organize my things by studiously devouring or tearing apart every untoward item left on the floor-or anywhere else within her reach. With a dog's gracious help, even the sloppiest teenager can learn to pick up underwear, hang up coats, and put away CDs. This is one way in which dogs encourage us to think ahead, and to consider the consequences of our actions.

Essentially, dogs call on us to feed, groom, and exercise them, a responsibility that is not a burden but a gift to both partners. Caring for a dog is caring for the spirit, for it reminds us of the link that stretches across creation. The spiritual blessings that come from caring well cannot be measured.

The Gift of Enthusiasm

Dogs remind us that life is a more joyful event than we think. Nothing equals the joie de vivre of a young, healthy dog. I have noticed that dogs respond to compliments in the best way, with joy. They do not turn aside and murmur dismissively, "Oh, please. I don't deserve it." They leap for joy, "Good boy! Yes, I am a good boy, aren't I? Yes I am yes I am!"

When our spirits are low, dogs bring cheerful energy. They remind us that every day, every segment of time, is a miraculous gift in itseIf, a moment saved from eternity that is ours once only. You don't need to ask a dog twice to have fun. They never worry about waiting till the dishes are done or the floor is swept (or the article finished). They
know that "Be here now!" applies to every second. Why waste it? Why not savor it?

The Gift of Forgiveness

With dogs, forgiveness is a way of life. How else have they managed to endure life with us, who fence them in, allow kids to maul them, and yank them along when they want to dawdle. Dogs simply don't bear grudges. Life is too short for them to make an enemies list, and they have found that forgiving a wrong is the easiest way to a liberated heart. In a world where people store up wrongs for decades, it's wonderful to have a friend who will forgive you for forgetting to give him breakfast, at least as long as supper is on time.

The Gift of Love

Dogs and love are practically synonymous. And while we might murmur disparaging remarks about "puppy love," the truth is that puppy love is an unselfish, joyful, and wholehearted experience untainted by darker motives like ego-building, status-seeking, or guilt.

"Love," remarked Holmes, "is spontaneous." And surely nothing exemplifies these words so clearly as the response of a dog to his person. Just as a parent loves a baby without the baby's having "earned" that love; dogs seem to love us even though we may not do anything particularly noble to deserve it. This is love given freely. Dogs do not think, "If I love my keeper more, I'll get more treats, pats, or walks." Dogs love people who feed them poorly, seldom exercise them, or even ignore them. A dog's love is not a measured, tit-for-tat business arrangement, but a state of being. Whatever you choose to give back is lovingly accepted.

With love comes loyalty, and the loyalty of dogs is legendary. Their attachment to us surmounts the obstacles that time and circumstances throw before us. Dogs don't care if their keepers have grown paunchy, bald, or gray. They don't judge our worth by our race, sex, career, or income. Dogs understand our moods and wouldn't trade the ratty old couch and worn linoleum for the Taj Mahal.

Compassion is the child of love. Several years ago, a young couple had a minor car accident in front of our house. We invited them in while they awaited a tow truck. The young woman, who had been driving, was distraught at having wrecked the car, and her boyfriend wasn't much help. Our Irish Setter Flannery came to the rescue, simply by laying her head on the woman's lap and looking compassionately at her. Soon, the young woman's attention shifted from her own problems to the kind dog, and before long she was smiling and able to put things in perspective.

Compassion is a special gift from the world of shelter, rescue, and stray dogs. They pull us across the species barrier into a place where one sentient being can honor another by serving its needs. In caring for these needy ones we are developing our special human powers of compassion. Turning one's back on these hapless animals hardens us; it makes us less human.

The Gift of Grace

Dogs are full of grace-outside and in. While not all dogs can match the fluid beauty of a Greyhound or setter, all dogs inhabit their bodies and minds with a degree of comfort and acceptance that should be our envy. Bulldogs do not recognize themselves as odd looking, and Bassets appear to believe their short legs and enormous ears are the norm. They accept themselves as readily as they accept their owners.

I have seen paralyzed dogs, blind dogs, deaf dogs all live life to the fullest. They do not "adjust" so much as they expand their being to fill all available spaces. They rightly regard their senses as simply means to know the world, not as intrinsically important. If a dog cannot hear his keeper, he may be able to see him-or vice versa.

Dogs can also accept death with an equanimity that shames us. Because they count life in moments, because the present is a present, they accept the end of their current allotment of moments. Perhaps they understand that others, richer and more precious yet, will follow. Perhaps they feel that the eternal present will manifest at last. I do know that holding a beloved dog in my arms while he takes his last breath is a special gift to me.

The Gift of Laughter

Dogs are fun and dogs are funny. They have the good sense to take life as it comes and reveal to us the secret joys of everyday life. Some scientists believe that dogs can laugh, too. Nevada researcher Patricia Simonet of Sierra Nevada College in Lake Tahoe, Nevada, found that a dog at play makes a distinctive, breathy exhalation that can trigger playfulness in other dogs. It may sound like a plain old pant to us; however, this exhalation bursts into a broader range of frequencies than does normal dog panting.

The best reason of all to keep a dog is for the illimitable joy dogs provide. The family dog is always there to remind us that no matter what challenges we may be facing-he is there for you-and it's time for a walk, a cuddle, and the next adventure.

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