Please, do not take any advice from me on dog training. I am terrible. For example, I am told that you are supposed to train your dog not to beg at the table, so it is important not to feed them at the table. I am sorry, but that is ridiculous. When my dog looks up at me during mealtime, how can I say no to those big, dark eyes that suggest she is famished? Sure, her bowl is overflowing with kibbles, but my meatloaf looks more appetizing.
Instead of dispensing dog training advice, which I have already clearly stated is a mistake, I will suggest that dogs have some things they can train us to do — or more specifically — be.
Let me tell you about my dog, Annie. Annie was a rescue. She was one of seven sisters picked up from a shelter by a rescue organization. Part boxer, part pit bull, part something-or-another, we met Annie when she was just a couple of months old at a farmers market on a hot summer morning. The organization brought a litter of pups that were available for adoption, and along with her sisters, Annie was there to be petted and loved. That day, we found ourselves rescued by Annie.
Annie taught me about gratitude. I get it — you may be a bit skeptical a dog has any kind of understanding of gratitude. Nevertheless, there is much I learned about gratitude from this 50-pound brown pup.
Every moment was purposeful for her. I am not saying that she was always busy with frantic energy, scratching off items on her to-do list. Rather, Annie fully engaged the moment: she thoroughly smelled most anything new, different and unique. Butterflies delighted her, bumblebees amazed her, and squirrels engaged her. Every moment was filled with possible wonder.
Every creature was a potential friend. Of course, not every creature is friendly, including the two-legged variety, but every creature she met was greeted with an enthusiastic wag of the tail. Instead of fear, anxiety or defense, she chose to meet others with the hope of kindness exchanged.
Every day was a gift. And each day, there were many gifts to experience. Whether nosing through the trash to fish out a tasty bit of paper or dozing in the sunshine or furtively staring at us while we try to eat a meal, all things held the possibility of a gift. When I watched her curl at my feet in front of the fire, rest was a wonderful gift that she accepted and fully embraced.
Benedictine monk David Steindl-Rast said that the one thing that unites all persons everywhere is that we all want to be happy. Some people, he noted, think that when you are happy, you are grateful, but this monk challenges us to think again. It is not that gratitude comes from happiness, but that when we are grateful, we are happy. I think he is right.
While I know I am projecting anthropomorphic values onto a dog, I nevertheless witnessed a canine that was happy because she was grateful — at least in a doggy kind of way!
