26/08/2023
Happy International Day of the Dog!
I never ever wanted dogs. We grew up ‘cat people’ and dogs just seemed to be too much to me. Too smelly, too wet and muddy, too needy. Cats kind of made you feel inferior, they were aloof, cool and independent and I liked that back then (that’s who I was ‘trying to be’😬).
My husband is very much a dog person, and after a few years rescuing puppies and kittens abroad (long story) and getting a small glimmer of what it could be like, I finally gave in and we got Dave.
Guys, WHAT WAS I WAITING FOR. Dave was followed by Brian (my insistence) because it very quickly became clear to me that having a dog was going to change everything. And some of those things needed to change….
Now my once picture-perfect house probably smells on wet days, and I couldn’t be happier about that. My floor is always a little muddy as the boys patter in and out to the garden - I never look down - except when it’s floor cleaning day. We can no longer have nice white sheets on our bed because you guessed it, the dogs are always on it with us.
It took a while but getting dogs made me realise that some things were being prioritised wrongly.
Too busy? Not a thing - the dogs need cuddled, when they need cuddled.
Stressed out? Call the dogs and bury your face in their sweet little heads and your stress will dissipate rapidly.
Stuck in a perfectionist cycle? That will soon get knocked out of the park with a muddy mate around.
Feeling low? Pick up the lead and let Mother Nature heal you.
Yes they bark at anything with four legs on TV, and our lovely postwomen (who now carries treats). Yes you will never eat in private ever again. Yes they need a lot of looking after (which changes your perspective from ‘inward’ to ‘outward’ and automatically gets you out of your own way) and yes they are costly, time-consuming and will absolutely break your heart into smithereens when it’s their time to go.
But they teach you so much, these little furry friends. They teach you acceptance, utter ‘in the moment-ness’ and how to joy-seek. They love you like no one else can and they adore you for the simple fact that you are you.
It is soul-nurturing, life-giving friendship, without words.
And it will heal parts of you you didn’t know were broken.
And when they are called to the big rainbow bridge in the sky, they will remind you, in their own way, that you must not stop loving like this ever again.
It is a tap that cannot be turned off once it is on.
There is not a day that goes by where I don't give thanks for my dogs. And if I pass one on the street, I am instantly delighted and in a better mood.
They were sent to us, to teach us ‘how’.
Of this I have no doubt.
Happy Day of the dog y’all.
Give them a cuddle from me.
Donna x
My book ‘loss’ contains a poem called ‘rainbow bridge’ which may help with grieving your pet, my love to all ❤️
X
