ITS A DOG’S LIFE
Posted by Jeannie Fennell on January 12, 2010 · 6 Comments
I’ve been so fortunate that for most of my life I have had dogs. I have learned a lot from them.
But recently an experience with a dog taught me a lot about health….which
reminds me once again that there are gifts in everything.
Often I take my two rescue mutts to a large field where they can run off leash and meet other dogs. A few weeks before I had chatted with a young woman named Cindy & met her year-old Boxer “Max.” Cindy was a first time dog owner & was excited about having a dog. We talked about dog behavior and I told her of some of my “dog learning” experiences.
A few weeks later I was at the field and saw Cindy and a guy I assumed was her boyfriend as they were very involved with each other. However they were not very involved with Max.
Max was running around and getting further away from them. Cindy would occasionally pull her attention away from her boyfriend and call Max to “come.” When Max did not come, her calls became increasingly shrill.
She eventually came in my direction so I took the opportunity to offer her a dog treat to entice Max with, explaining that was a way I had taught my dogs to come. Cindy told me emphatically that Max didn’t deserve a treat, as he was being “bad.”
Finally Max did come to her and she began to hit him and tell him he was a bad dog. I was very upset to see this and felt I needed to intervene. I said that I knew she was frustrated but he would not want to come if he was punished when he did come. Of course she didn’t pay any attention to me and hauled Max away.
With a very heavy heart, I saw that the relationship between Cindy and Max was headed for trouble and possible abuse. And probably the pound for Max.
Later that day I was reminded of the relationship between Cindy and Max when I saw an article about exercise were the emphasis was on the ”No Pain, No gain” school of health.
It occurred to me that many of us have the same type of relationship to our bodies that I saw between Cindy to Max.
That is, we ignore our bodies until they don’t perform like we think they should and then we punish them and tell them they are “bad.” We treat our bodies like they need to be punished with brutal exercise and deprivation diets. We don’t take the time to learn much about what they need and we don’t pay attention to the “messages” we get about what makes our bodies feel good. So it is no surprise that our relationship to our bodies is one of frustration and confusion.
So I am going to suggest that we adopt a new view of health
starting with the motto:
“Your Body is Your Best Friend”
And the remembering these simple D.O.G ideas:
D= don’t rely on fad diets or quick fixes,
good relationships take time & care.
Do “check in” regularly to see where
your body is and where it is going.
O= Own that your body is unique and will
willingly tell you what makes it thrive.
Do you need more sleep than is?
“average”? Do you like walks more
than treadmills?
Find out what works for YOU, not
what “experts tell you
G= Give your body the care and respect
it deserves.Walks, lots of play,
good food and loving attention
make dogs and bodies thrive.
Treat your body as well as you would
your Best Friend…because it
really is.
Be the person your dog thinks you are!
Related posts:
Oh that I were the women my dog (and cat) thinks I am!
I love this
thanks for the reminder
Rhonda- thanks for this! So glad you liked this….Maybe your pets know more than you think and you ARE the woman they think.You really are…Jeannie
Its funny that you shared this story. Only this week I was thinking of the benefits of having Charlie-Charlie is a year old pomchi, part pomeranian and part chauwawa. Charlie is very good looking and smart. I know he understands what I say to him, beyond, sit and stay. He is my shadow. He goes with me every way possible. One day I was going into the city and while dresssing, I said to him, “Charlie mommy is going out, but she cannot take you. I will be back as soon as possible.”(I talk to him all the time. My daughter even say to me, “Mom Charlie cannot talk)” When I when down stairs to leave Charlie did not come. I had to go upstairs and get him. I was amazed that he understood what I said to him. I literally had to take him downstairs and put him in the cage. Yesterday, he again demonstrated his intelligence. We were upstairs when the kettle, which sounds like a cho-cho train, began to whistle. Charlie did everything he could, short of words to tell me that the kettle was boiling.
Two days ago, I was pondering all the love Charlie gives to me and I realized that he gives what he gets. If only all humans would love and reciprocate love as completely as our four-legged friends.
Elaine- thanks so much for your comments. I know exactly what you mean about pets reading our minds…maybe it is because they have no agenda for us.And you are so right..He gives what he gets and I hope we can do more of that for all of our health’s sake.You are certainly doing your part! Charlie and you are a great match.Jeannie
This is a really interesting topic… perspectives on health. I’m taking a course this semester at UNCC called “The Performance of Healing: Illness and Health Across Religious Traditions”. The class is all about answering the questions “What is illness? What is healing? What is religion? What does healing have to do with religion”. I’m sure my thoughts will evolve throughout the semester as I more closely examine my beliefs and assumptions, but here’s where I am after pondering our first reading (“Healing” as a Theme in Teaching the Study of Religion in a Liberal Arts Setting” by Linda L. Barnes).
First, I believe that illness is the absence of health and religion is an individual’s set of beliefs about the cosmos and our personal relationship to it.
As for healing… I believe the healing process is transformative. It’s a positive transformation away from illness and towards health. The World Health Organization understands health as a state of physical, social, and mental well-being. In the article, Dr. Ravi Kapur (psychiatrist) argues that the spiritual dimension is a fourth critical component of health. He writes, “Healing is religious because to become whole means accepting the spiritual in us – our relationship with the cosmos, and not just our physical, mental, or social state.”
What are your thoughts?
Susan- this is really powerful information & ideas. This sounds like a great course and I’d love to take it! Thank you for sharing this information…it is very thought provoking. I think we need lots “brain food” & this is also great exercise for our minds..
I have certainly seen that religion and beliefs play a huge part in how we see illness and what we do about it.When we realize that “dis-ease” is really what is says….many of our health issues come from our feelings and how we handle them.I think we could learn a lot from other cultural & religious traditions on how we can be healthier…as well as happier.
Healing does not always mean a “cure” but sometimes means that we see what caused us to become in “dis-ease”.
Sometimes that is the only signal we will pay attention to.In my work with clients I find that the body often tells much more about the mind & what is going on than the words do.
This is such a great topic ..I could write much more but will stop so this is not too long.But thanks again for stirring this up! Maybe you can write a blog post on this soon…Jeannie