Lived Experience Forum

[Wolfchild]

Do you ever wonder what it is about your dog that is so intrinsically cheerful?

Is it the fact that you are THE MOST important person in the ENTIRE UNIVERSE every time you walk in the door?  Is it that the LOVE your cooking no matter what?  Perhaps it is their silly tail chasing antics or the way they catch food mid air, or the athletic corkscrew frisbee thing?

All relevant but like so much in life, only part of the bigger question.  It is not only what they do offer you but what they don't.  They give you unconditional love, which is love minus all the things we can do without.  Love without guilt, love without fear, love without doubt, love without boundaries or daily affirmations - love without expectations.  Some experts say you should not put human qualities or behaviours onto your pet.  They say it is a misinterpretation of canine behaviour, which is first and foremost about resources, survival of the fittest, rivalled in importance only by one's place in the pack.  Even after 40,000 years of domestication and deliberate breeding, they are still only one DNA strand removed from wild wolves.

So that was a wolf, then, beside my chair last night as I sat in 'the other room' fending off nightmares.  It was a wolf that nuzzled my hand as I lay on the recliner, trying to recalibrate, weighing up the likelihood of getting back to sleep.  It was a wolf that shadows me just a little bit closer on the days when I don't know who I am anymore.  Who on bad nights, is at the bedroom door before I am even fully jolted awake by my dreams, heart pounding, in a cold, cold sweat.  Without a sound, she stands by me until the universe re-aligns and I have stopped shaking.  Only then will she lay back down beside my chair, watching me.

They say dogs don't have emotions.  Oh puh-lease.  We have two dogs.  Try giving one an extra biscuit and  not the other and see what reaction you get.  They say dogs don't understand human conversations and talking to your dog is pointless.  For who?  I have conversations with mine all the time and there have been times when those conversations have done me more therapeutic good than a bucketload of pharmaceuticals, six weeks off and a video conferenced, tick-box psychiatric assessment.  There is something about a gentle paw on your arm when you are in pain that speaks volumes.  It says 'I am here.  You are safe. You are my favourite.'

By the time the pale, fuzzy dawn broke we had worked it out, her and I, worked out the nexus between a wild, driven creature and how we humans see the world.

It's not that we want our dogs to be human.  It's that deep down we all wish we were more like our dog.  Able to give and to receive love without guilt, love without judgement, love without the crushing burden of unmet expectations.

Unconditional.

[Former-Member]

I agree, animals are empathetic creatures. I had a kelpie who went everywhere with me, she even followed me to school and slept at the gates during the day waiting for me lol. If I was sad she'd be so quiet and gentle just wanting to snuggle on my lap (yes she was allowed on my couch haha).

[Appleblossom]

Last night I watched a music doc with my son and our cats.

There was a large dog with his hands/paws on the piano mirroring the pianist ... Priceless!