What Dogs Can Teach Us About Life
My good friend, Tiger, sent me this story the other day and I thought that it so brilliantly captured the importance of appreciating the little things in life, that I just had to share. Enjoy!
A Dog's Purpose (from a 6-year-old)
Being a veterinarian, I had been called to examine a ten-year-old Irish Wolfhound named Belker. The dog's owners, Ron, his wife Lisa, and their little boy Shane, were all very attached to Belker, and they were hoping for a miracle. I examined Belker and found he was dying of cancer. I told the family we couldn't do anything for Belker, and offered to perform the euthanasia procedure for the old dog in their home. As we made arrangements, Ron and Lisa told me they thought it would be good for six-year-old Shane to observe the procedure. They felt as though Shane might learn something from the experience.
The next day, I felt the familiar catch in my throat as Belker 's family surrounded him. Shane seemed so calm, petting the old dog for the last time, that I wondered if he understood what was going on. Within a few minutes, Belker slipped peacefully away.
The little boy seemed to accept Belker's transition without any difficulty or confusion. We sat together for a while after Belker's Death, wondering aloud about the sad fact that animal lives are shorter than human lives.
Shane, who had been listening quietly, piped up, ''I know why.''
Startled, we all turned to him. What came out of his mouth next stunned me. I'd never heard a more comforting explanation. It has changed the way I see life and live.
He said,''People are born so that they can learn how to live a good life -- like loving everybody all the time and being nice, right?'' Shane continued, ''Well, dogs already know how to do that, so they don't have to stay as long.''
Remember, if a dog was the teacher you would learn things like:
- When loved ones come home, always run to greet them.
- Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joyride.
- Take naps.
Stretch before rising.- Run, romp, and play daily.
- Thrive on attention and let people touch you.
- Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.
- On warm days, stop to lie on your back on the grass.
- On hot days, drink lots of water and lie under a shady tree.
- When you're happy, dance around and wag your entire body.
- Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.
- Be loyal.
- Never pretend to be something you're not.
- If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.
- When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by, and nuzzle them gently.
Thursday, September 17, 2009 at 9:14AM
Reader Comments (8)
Beautiful story. Dogs give me life!
That was beautiful.
I want to post list that you included at the end on my fridge to remind me to do those things. Who knew that dogs could be such great role models - ha. =)
What a beautiful story, Jinxi. Thanks so much for sharing this. You always find the most wonderful, inspiring and important stories. Thank you!!
Love you to the moon xoxo
Wen
Isn't it great to know how smart young kiddo's are? 6 years old and he knows whats going on. Too bad people 20 years older couldn't be as smart and compassionate as this young boy, or say a 15 year old who knows to speak up when something inappropriate is happening right in front of her...or him. *cough cough*
And the doggie list is so good, I think I might print that out too! I love 'avoid biting when a simple growl will do'. Damn, animals could almost run this country! Any opinions on that?
Whoa, I didn't even notice my name at the top of this blog....I'm famous!!! And my real name IS Tiger, not a nickname like that dude who plays golf. Thanks for ruining my unique name Eldrick Woods!
Oops, got off subject there...I apologize. ;-)
@ Tiger
Given the fact that so many of those running the country are jackasses, ah damn, I suppose it would be an insult to animals for me to say that animals are already running this country. Seriously though, the leaders that have been "chosen" to run this country could certainly learn from young children and animals alike.
I get what you're saying, Steve. I heard that in the 1400's 'animal' meant 'politician'. So we'll just run with that.
Crap, did I cross a line with that one? ;-)
And dogs help people (ie, me) who have mental heath problems by encouraging them to get up and out of the house a few times a day at least, and with unconditional love, with no judgement