This post was taken from my old webpage. I think there's some good information there and some food for thought.
So what makes a dog's life worth living? I can only speak for myself here. I could survive with just food and water. True, without a vet I wouldn't live quite as long or happy a life but my ancestors did just that for thousands of years. Many years ago, my wild ancestors found that they had some sort of special bond with humans. By keeping each other's company, we could enrich each other's lives by helping one another out, defending them and sharing each other's experiences in life. Over time, that bond has grown to the point that it is no longer an oddity of nature but part of our very makeup. I believe this original bonding occurred due to the fact that we have some of the same attributes. Commonalities I think my dad calls them and greatest among them, I think, is the need for love. Without this, my wild ancestors might just as well have stayed in the woods. Let me tell you what makes my life worth living. I've got everything a dog needs. I live with my folks at their shelter so I've got lots of friends, old and new (I'm the boss of them all). I get plenty to eat and I get excellent medical care but being loved, I mean really LOVED is what makes my life so rewarding. I love pretty much everyone here, dogs, puppies and people alike and I watch over things to make sure nothing bad happens to any of them but I have a very special relationship with my dad. Sure, he picked me out of literally hundreds of rescued puppies to be his own but that, in of itself, is no big deal. What's important is htat he always takes time to let me know that I am special to him, to communicate with me and do fun things with me or just let me hang out with him while he works around the yard and kennels. Whether its taking me to the beach for the very first time, letting me lick his ice cream cone or spending some serious cuddle time, I always know that he loves me and I need that. All dogs do. I've always got his back and he's got mine. The other day we were helping my grandma take her dog Jake for a walk when three big dogs came out growling and wanting to tear him up. My dad and I got in between to make sure nobody got hurt and I was ready to fight. There was no doubt in my mind that, if it came to a fight, my dad and I would be in it together, side by side.
I just wanted to touch a little on communicating. Dogs are very smart and most will try to communicate (in doggy fashion) with their humans. (For a great book on communicating with your pet, check out PETSPEAK) The other day I was playing with my friends while my dad was working on a kennel in the back yard when the sky got very dark and the wind started to blow. This made me a little nervous but I don't really know why. I went out back to find him, looked up at him and then looked up at the sky and back to him. He let me know that he was aware and was watching for any signs of danger himself (it came out a lot like "It'll be a'ight"). Or just yesterday when we took a walk in the woods and wound up on a road that we'd never been on before. Once I realized that we weren't turning off into the old cotton field, I came running back and jumped up at his hand to ask him if he'd made a mistake or something (he is getting a little old you know). Once again, he reassured me that everything was under control (and once again, it sounded a lot like "It'll be a'ight"). It's this part of our relationship that I find to be so special, that someone recognizes that I actually know stuff and am trying to communicate with them. I guess that if no one listened, I'd just stop trying.
Let me tell you about our trip to the beach. First we went shopping at this great doggy store and then stopped for ice cream. When we got onto the beach, there were still a lot of people there and although I'm pretty well behaved, I'm a country dog. I'm much more used to running in the woods than threading through a bunch of sunbathers. At first I was on a leash which I HATE but, even though I could see that my dad had his doubts about letting me run free, he let me try and I rewarded him by being on my best behavior. I'm pretty sure I put one over on him though. My dad has his own language with me that doesn't sound much like what he uses when he talks with other humans but, at some point, he started using these hand signals that I've never seen before. I think he was pretty impressed in thinking that I learned them so quickly but, truth is, I already knew what it was that he wanted me to do (or not do). All the hand signals did was to let me know that he wanted something. It's amazing that so much of our communication is intuitive and unspoken but having this bond is what makes my life worth living.
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