How Dogs Make My Week (& Life) Better

While it’s been a busy week, I’ve been killing it and kept in a very positive mood. Most of the credit for that goes to my two dogs who make my life easier, better, and worth hustling for.

This week I have canvased for Bernie Sanders two mornings where I could have stayed home and relaxed. I also managed to get some confirmed donations and supporters for a dog-related event I am putting on with the Humane Society. I also, somehow, managed to get all my homework projects done, mostly thanks to Caesar and Jeter. All of this while still making sure my work at the newspaper gets done.

When it comes to my classes, I have two that require quite a bit of creative thinking (the other two are Latin and a history course, Witchcraft & Witch Hunts – they require a lot of reading). My Creativity & Community classes requires more writing than the others and my Visual Images class requires a lot of creative photo taking.

With so much going on, sometimes my brain feels overwhelmed and it can be hard to think. But my dogs often come to the rescue! Earlier in the week, when I had to write a prompt that forced me to create metaphors, Caesar was a huge help. It can be hard to write when your inspiration is running low, but with my love for my dogs, I feel like I always have something to write about. Caesar came in handy when I had to “image a person as a color” or “imagine a person as a place.” He’s always my person and he helped the worlds flow right out of me for the assignment. When reflecting on the assignment, I realized just how cool I think my dog is.

When I needed nighttime photos and had little idea what to take photos of, I took Jeter with me and drove around town until we saw something that sparked some inspiration. This project also required that I take photos of a person in low-light. When you are constantly doing things after midnight, when the rest of the world is asleep, this is where a good dog who can sit still comes in hand, because I will tell you, there are not a lot of people to take photos of in the middle of the night.

Caesar posed for my low-light photos and did so with pure elegance and grace. Taking a low-light photo requires that you set your shutter speed at a very slow pace in order to let as much light as possible come in through the lens. This means you need a steady hand and a steady subject. With my camera on a tripod, a treat on top of the camera, and some well-positioned glow sticks and candles, Caesar allowed me to take beautiful photos of him. Pro tip: you can convince a dog to do a lot of tricks with a good smelling treat; puppy training treats seem to work especially well.

This week, I learned further that dogs have more patience than most of us and are more than happy to run around with you while you do boring and mundane tasks. All you have to do to please them is offer plenty of head and belly pets, roll down your car window for some “air sniffing” time, and talk to them. This would probably not work so well with a human.

Often, one of my boys accompanies me to my office to get work done. Both did this week, and were patient with me while I got my work done. Jeter even provided a head to pet as I and other Humane Society partners nailed down some plans for a dog walk event.

It can be hard to be so busy and have relationships with people, but luckily dogs are easier to please with their time. We get our walks in (even sometimes when it’s 12 a.m. and 20 degrees out), and we get our cuddles in (even if it means I wake up at 5 a.m. just to dish out some extra attention), but sometimes life is really busy – coming home to two dogs that allow me calm down and take a breath makes life a bit better. If you’re a dog lover, you probably understand.

Because of my schedule, I’m sometimes not around a lot of people; having a dog accompany me at work or on a project keeps me in touch with the living world. While they may not be able to verbalize what they want to say, having my dogs around also gives me someone to talk to. People need to be around other living creatures to help our souls flourish, and sometimes that doesn’t always mean humans. It’s hard to thrive in isolation.

Dogs are a source of calm. They know, sometimes even better than we do, when we need to relax. They are a constant reminder to take a breath and chill for a moment. As humans, we often find ourselves worrying about the past or the present – dogs only think about the right now. With every interaction with a dog, I believe there is a lesson to be learned about living in the moment and with pure joy.

Earlier this week I realized that the sun was hanging in the sky later than it had been in a long time. Looking at Jeter, who was eager to go outside, I grabbed my camera and we sat on the hill of my backyard and watched the sunset (something we do quite often in the summer when life is less hectic). I took some breathtaking photos of the wind turbines in the distance. I honestly know that I wouldn’t have taking this moment of peace if it weren’t for Jeter wanting to go outside so bad. It was as if he were begging me, “Hey, chill out. Let’s go sit on the hill like we do in the summer.” It was a moment I could have easily passed up because I had so much to “get done.” But Jeter forced me to take that break, and as I reflect on my week, I realize that that was one of my calmest and happiest moments in a long time.

If you find ourself in a rut, overwhelmed, full of stress, or in worry this week, ask yourself “What would a dog do right now?” Then follow it. I did that this week and I realized what my body really needed in the moment was to be at peace – to just sit and relax for a moment and reflect on the positive things going on. Doing this can help clear your mind and give you motivation to keep going.

Has a dog (or other comfort animal) made your life better? How so? Reflect on it and let me know!