What we can learn from the dogs

Just over a year ago, my family and I decided to take the plunge and get a dog. What type of dog should we get was the first question that we put our minds to and after much consternation we elected to get a German Shepherd puppy. We decided to do this through a breeder in Ontario. We checked out her website and through the wonders of computers we narrowed it down to a couple of choices. That Sunday we got into the car and drove the two hours to visit the breeder and see firsthand which one was going to become part of our family.

Step two was to figure out a name for this furry little guy. For the next two weeks names floated around the dining table, were texted to each other and written on umpteen numbers of lists. We had criteria that we employed like the name had to have two syllables, it could not start with the letter ‘n’ or sound similar to ‘no’. We thought about different exotic cars, different places we wanted to go, the symbolism of the breed etc, etc. Finally we decided. Most people think that Jaeger is named after the liquor but no one in our family is too fond of Jaegermeister as an aperitif so that was not the reason, actually Jaeger is German for Hunter.

So a week before Halloween last year, we made the trek out again to the breeder and brought home our little fur ball. It did not take more than a couple of minutes for everyone to fall completely in love with this little puppy. He jumped here, he jumped there. He yelped to let you know he wanted to go out (and yes there were more than a few oops – Jaeger bombs or shots of Jaeger).

A year later and the love for this dog has only grown. Each of the members of my family has developed a different bond with Jaeger, and Jaeger with each member. There is nothing that compares with opening the garage door to the house and having a 100lb tail wagging ball of love come charging at you. It reminds me so much of the Flintstones where Dino would bowl Fred over when he came home. Thankfully Jaeger does not bowl me over. No matter how my day has been, this lovely animal is waiting at the door or charging toward the door when I open it.

So what can we learn from the dogs. A lot.

1. Unconditional Love
If our society was able to love unconditionally there would be far fewer instances of domestic violence and abuse. People would be able to walk around feeling better about themselves and would inevitably treat others with respect and care.

2. Marvel at the simplistic
With all the gadgets we have at our disposal in the developed world, taking a moment to sit and watch a leaf blow by or a squirrel run across a fence and be able to get excited about that (ok, Jaeger likely wants to eat both the squirrel and the leaf but he does get quite excited). Not needing to be overstimulated in order to enjoy would be a great lesson for many of today’s youth.

3. Do nothing and love it
When was the last time you just lay in bed and did nothing for a day? Society does not let us truly relax anymore. There is always so many things to do and seldom enough time to do it in. Imagine how healthy we would be if we all took one full day and did nothing. Allowed our minds to recoup let alone our bodies.
4. Greet strangers with a smile
May sound odd, but when you are walking by someone in the morning just say good morning ini a chipper voice and see how you and the other person feel. Likely you will both walk away with a smile on your face. For Jaeger, getting to greet another dog on a walk is heaven. He jumps up and insists that they have playtime until the leads get tangled and one of us humans says okay lets go.

5. Stand up for what is important to you
It never fails that Jaeger will come running over to me at the dog park whenever another dog is near me. It is as though he is saying, “he is mine”. Once I tell him it is okay, he relaxes and starts to play with the other dog. Thankfully no one has ever threatened anyone in my family while Jaeger is around as I am confident that his desire to lick the world would disappear in a second.

6. Listen to your elders
This is definitely a lesson that all children should heed. When the adult speaks, the child obeys. The problem is that when a child is young we do not reinforce behavior with a treat like we do with a dog. If I could only have my sons obey me because they knew they were going to get a piece of dried up carrot – that would be the day.

I could go on about the things that Jaeger has taught my family and me but I suspect that people would eventually tune out. So let me just say that the joy that we have received from our little (ok, not so little anymore) bundle of fun is unparalleled.

Have a great day 