Aug
20
Seven Times As Good
Whenever my wife and I travel anywhere these days it seems as if everyone stares at us. I would like to think that it is because she is stunningly beautiful and I am dashingly handsome, but I have a feeling it is neither. It most likely has to do with our traveling companions. No outing is quite the same unless we take all four of our canine babies with us. I think they are the ones getting the looks that include the ‘oohs’ and the ‘ahhs’. The looks my wife and I are getting are probably more similar to bewilderment, mixed with that underlying whisper of, “Holy cow, four dogs?”
It should be clear by this point that I am a dog person. I have spent my entire life around dogs and consider myself quite the expert on both their mentality and behavior. We think and behave much the same way, so it is easy to call myself an expert in this arena.
Back to my original point, no trip is quite the same without my dogs. They go everywhere with us. Each trip to the store is accompanied by the pitter-patter of paws and a wagging tail all the way to the car. They each have their assigned seat, depending upon the vehicle of choice for the day. In my wife’s car, the three larger dogs ride in back, and my littlest child, the Pomeranian, rides on the lap of the front passenger. Each time we stop at a store, a human is left in the car to watch after the pack. More times than not, the dogs go into the store with us, depending on the store, obviously.
I am often questioned about traveling with my dogs. Many people suggest that it would be easier to leave them at home. I am told they are “just dogs” after all. This got me thinking more about the life of my furry friends. They sure seem to like going places and their simple lives are filled with one enjoyable second after another. I think Cesar Milan sums it up by saying that, “Dogs live in the moment.”
The more I thought about it, the clearer it became. It all boils down to the idea we, as humans, created. It is said that dogs age 7 years for every human year (actually, that is not accurate, it is more like 10 years for the first two years and then 4 years per human year thereafter). Regardless of which method you use to calculate, it translates into a remarkably simple fact. Dogs enjoy things 7-10 times more than humans do.
This simple fact explains why dogs can live in the moment, blissfully unaware of anything around them, and find the joy in every second of their lives. They are simply having a lot more fun than we are. Think about it, if your life was accelerated on the same scale as a dog’s, would you not enjoy life more? Throwing a ball is 7-10 times better for them than us. Going for a walk is 7-10 times better. And, yes, riding in the car is 7-10 times better.
Once we begin to understand and accept that our canine companions are living this high-speed existence, it will be easier for us to relate to them. Dogs come and go throughout most of our lives and most of us have a special place in our hearts for each one. Think about that the next time you rub your dog’s belly for five minutes. To them you just spent almost an entire hour in thoughtful devotion to your best friend.
It should be clear by this point that I am a dog person. I have spent my entire life around dogs and consider myself quite the expert on both their mentality and behavior. We think and behave much the same way, so it is easy to call myself an expert in this arena.
Back to my original point, no trip is quite the same without my dogs. They go everywhere with us. Each trip to the store is accompanied by the pitter-patter of paws and a wagging tail all the way to the car. They each have their assigned seat, depending upon the vehicle of choice for the day. In my wife’s car, the three larger dogs ride in back, and my littlest child, the Pomeranian, rides on the lap of the front passenger. Each time we stop at a store, a human is left in the car to watch after the pack. More times than not, the dogs go into the store with us, depending on the store, obviously.
I am often questioned about traveling with my dogs. Many people suggest that it would be easier to leave them at home. I am told they are “just dogs” after all. This got me thinking more about the life of my furry friends. They sure seem to like going places and their simple lives are filled with one enjoyable second after another. I think Cesar Milan sums it up by saying that, “Dogs live in the moment.”
The more I thought about it, the clearer it became. It all boils down to the idea we, as humans, created. It is said that dogs age 7 years for every human year (actually, that is not accurate, it is more like 10 years for the first two years and then 4 years per human year thereafter). Regardless of which method you use to calculate, it translates into a remarkably simple fact. Dogs enjoy things 7-10 times more than humans do.
This simple fact explains why dogs can live in the moment, blissfully unaware of anything around them, and find the joy in every second of their lives. They are simply having a lot more fun than we are. Think about it, if your life was accelerated on the same scale as a dog’s, would you not enjoy life more? Throwing a ball is 7-10 times better for them than us. Going for a walk is 7-10 times better. And, yes, riding in the car is 7-10 times better.
Once we begin to understand and accept that our canine companions are living this high-speed existence, it will be easier for us to relate to them. Dogs come and go throughout most of our lives and most of us have a special place in our hearts for each one. Think about that the next time you rub your dog’s belly for five minutes. To them you just spent almost an entire hour in thoughtful devotion to your best friend.