It's a rare moment when I have time to just sit in a run with the dogs, but I happened to have one of those moments yesterday. I was still working, searching through a bucket of nails, bolts, screws and washers, for a particular bolt I needed for a dog pen. I was hot, and tired, so I just sat down where I was, in the middle of a run under a shade tree, and started my search.
Trail and Norma, two of our incredible dogs, both thought this was the most awesome thing ever! At first, they were curious about what was in the bucket. Hard to search for a small bolt with two big muzzles in one small bucket! Once their curiosity was satisfied - no treats or toys in the bucket - it was time to give Tara lots of kisses, again making it kind of hard to search for the needed bolt.
Finally through with the kisses - my face was now perfectly clean - they moved out of the way and I got busy at the task at hand. Bolt found, I decided to just take a minute to rest. Sitting there under that big ole tree, a slight breeze bringing a tiny bit of relief from the heat, I realized my two helpers had not left, they were still right there with me.
No longer wiggling with delight that a human had joined them at eye level, convinced that the bucket contained nothing of interest, and Tara's face thoroughly smooched, they were both lying next to me, Trail at my side and and Norma at my back.
What made this moment so special was not the fact that they were there, instead it was the way they were there. Both dogs were touching me ever so gently.
So very much was being conveyed through this small, but very powerful, offering. I could feel their contentment... bodies very relaxed, breathing slow and steady. Their eyes were half closed... total trust... peace.
Our runs are large, 50'x100', with lots of trees, cool dirt to dig in, shade trees to rest under, dog houses and even elevated beds. They could have chosen to be a lot of different places, but instead, they wanted to be next to me.
I found myself relaxing into this moment... The gentle touch of the dogs, the trust and loyalty they were giving me... the comradery between the three of us was so powerful. The stresses of the day melted away, worries about tomorrow got shoved aside. I sat there for a few more minutes. I don't know who was enjoying it more, the dogs or me!
I was reminded of something I once read in a book about training dogs. A man was having a particularly rough time with his out of control pooch, so he sought help from a professional trainer. The trainer observed the man as he tried to get the dog to obey. As the dog became more and more distracted, the man became more and more frustrated. After a few minutes, the trainer told him to stop and asked him to do one simple thing, "Look at your dog," she said. The man "looked" at his dog, shrugged his shoulders, and then turned back to the trainer. The trainer said, "Now, really look at your dog."
I took this rare moment of quiet to really look at Trail, and then Norma. Wow! How special both of these creatures are! What we humans miss... when we don't take the time to really look at our dogs.
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| Trail |
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| Norma |
