K9 lessons in how to be loving

Furry friendships can offer us more than just loyalty.

I’ve owned dogs practically my entire life! I have shed countless tears during those inevitable moments of mourning that naturally well up inside you after their transition. The closeness is indescribable, conjuring up powerful feelings that few words can adequately describe.

In the past two years we have said goodbye to three family pets, giving both Beth and me a sense that we might want to take a break before replacing our dog, Nora - of 11 years, who we had recently put to sleep (unfortunately she had lymphoma). Lot’s of grieving in what seems like a really short period of time. But that is no longer in the cards. Perhaps nature really does abhor a vacuum, because we definitely have a new member in our family! Meet Malcolm, our newest four-legged bff.

What I notice most as I get acclimated to our newest four legged friend is how deep and powerful this relationship is, even though we are just getting to know him. Sure, it’s companionship, and dogs are most often loyal to a fault! But the word that describes dogs best is unconditional love. It’s so powerful and well demonstrated in how they naturally behave. There are few examples you will find around you that set such a high bar for how to be fully present in any moment with unbending dedication. It’s just who they are.

Sure, we all have experience with their naturally ability to destroy your personal property, or make nasty messes of all kinds in your living space! But life is like that, whether you are four legged or two legged. But I digress…

As I was thinking about this, what occurred to me is how amazed I am at the teaching moments these furry creatures offer us. Day after day they are warriors of the heart. It’s not something they try and do, it’s who they are. So to learn from them is as easy as practicing what they do so naturally; showing up in each moment in anticipation of what great possibilities might come next! Like the joy of chasing a ball or going for a hike, or simple connectedness via those scratches behind the ears or rubs on their lower back, or simply hanging out, chewing on their favorite bone, ball, or what was once a fully stuffed toy that had two ears and two eyes!

And for those paying attention, their consistency can reveal where we might fall a little short in their altruistic optimism. For me it’s about checking myself (before my impatience gets the best of me) when he is doing something I don’t want him to do. Being of the understanding that he is as innocent as a child, and knowing that if I spend the appropriate time with him he can be well trained! Malcolm is actually really smart, but his heart is SO big and SO playful that you have to allow for the time required to rewire these joy circuits to a few “must have” mannerisms!

But what’s amazing to me is the positive impact of really taking on the lessons Malcolm offers me. It’s not hard to find other areas of my life where I can show up with similar levels of impatience. If I’m in a hurry, or not experiencing what I want or like, I sometimes demonstrate qualities that the four legged friends of my life can’t even conceive of.

To be clear, I know that they don’t think about life as we do - totally different cerebral cortex, if you get my drift. But, the lessons of the heart they convey are surely something we can adopt for the benefit of everyone around us, including ourselves.

So this is just to say, if you have a dog and feel about them as most pet owners do, take some pointers from their constant love and loyalty. It’s so easy to see and feel, which makes it a great source of inspiration in our own lives. When it comes to matters of the heart, I know this guy is giving me lots of good insight into how to be more caring, loving, compassionate, and for me - patient!

I love who this guy is, I know how close we will be in the coming years, and I am already truly inspired… to be more like Malcolm!

PS: Feel free to share your own stories below, we all love hearing about the special ways these creatures touch our lives.