I saw “A Dog’s Purpose” yesterday. After recovering from two hours of happy and heartbroken crying, it got me to thinking.
The moral to the story was that dogs have the amazing ability to “be here now”.
They are not wasting time mourning the past or worrying about what has happened that they can’t change. They are not wasting time “what-if”ing about the future and worrying about what might happen that they have no control over. And they certainly are not ignoring the people or other animal friends who are right there in front of them so they can digitally interact with a network of other beings on some technical device.
They are happy with the little things right there in the moment of “now”. And not just content. They are joyous. They greet, eat, drink, walk, run, play, snuggle, and love with exuberance.
So if my dogs’ purpose is to “be here now”, what is MY dog purpose?
I don’t mean the purpose OF my dogs. But what is my purpose FOR my dogs? Our purpose for all dogs?
I realized quickly this wouldn’t be a question with an easy or static answer. I think maybe the best way to answer it is to never stop asking it of yourself. Over time your answer will evolve. So if you don’t keep checking in on it from time to time, you might miss out on a great new piece.
I know what it was for me when I was 22 and got my very own dog for the first time was different from what it became toward the end of her life when I was 39. And what it was when I got my dog a dog was different from what it was when I later rescued another dog. What it was when I first volunteered at an animal shelter was different from what it became when I decided to distance myself from my then-career to make a new career out of helping animals. And what it was when I began vet tech school was different from what it was after I graduated and began my own holistic animal healing business.
The key is, my purpose – my dog purpose – is ever evolving….. as is your own, I’m sure.
As a dog owner (which I say wryly smiling at my dogs because we all know it is they who own me….. I’m just happen to be the lucky one they picked) there are some basic rights we make sure they always have.
The right for a safe, warm home.
The right for clean, ample drinking water.
The right for healthy, nutritious food.
The right for consistent, meaningful medical care.
Then there are the rights we make sure they usually have. No one’s perfect, and I fall short even for myself on some of these from time to time.
The right to consistent exercise.
The right to cognitive stimulation.
And then there are the rights that all pets should have, hopefully most do, but sadly all do not.
The right to always feel loved.
There is no question in my mind that my dogs love me. They jump and squeak when I walk into our home after being away (even if it’s just been 1 minute out to the mailbox). They climb over whatever obstacle is in their way to make it into my lap for a good snuggle. They lick my tears away when I am sad and dance around the house with me when I am happy. They wiggle their bums and wag their tails as soon as they hear my voice speaking to them. I don’t have to look too hard to find that answer.
But do they always know, and feel, how much I love them? We humans have a habit sometimes of assuming someone knows we love them just because WE know it. We sometimes forget the importance of continuing to show it. Especially when life gets busy and it’s the unexpected problems that hijack our attention. And then the mind-numbing escapes from the stress of dealing with those things that capture the remaining free time we are left with. Sometimes it’s the ones who make life easy for us, like our pets, who are the ones left to deal with our empty tank left at the end of the day.
So let’s all renew our vow to that important pet right. Let’s re-vow to “be here now” with our furry family members. Let’s renew the conscious decision to actively show them every day that they are wanted, loved, and cherished.
We always know it in our hearts, but lets make sure they always know and feel it in their little furry hearts too….. So, just like in the movie, we can keep reuniting in every lifetime and never have to know a life without them in it.