Yay for the Puppy!

Who woke me up this morning by jumping on the bed, standing with two big paws on my chest and drooling onto my face. Yes, the dog is back to his ebullient self, begging for food, tripping people as they walk by and furring everything I own.

I wanted to share with you everything I have learned from the animal stupid enough to eat himself almost to death, and smart enough to not need anyone to tell him that the greatest of these is love.

Love:

A dog loves openly, fully and without reservation and celebrates that love every chance they get. Did I come home from work, exactly as I do every day? YAY! That's fantastic! We should celebrate! Did I leave for work, fully intending to return, as I do every day? That's sad. I'll be missed every second of the day.

Humans take love for granted and we shouldn't. We are lucky to be loved and that love can be ended at a moment's notice by a car accident or an aneurysm or die slowly over time, poisoned by neglect. We should remember how lucky we are and show our appreciation for the people who love us. They are precious, we shouldn't let ourselves forget that.

Teh Judgey:

A dog doesn't care about old or young, gay or straight, rich or poor, black or white. A dog judges you by how you treat him or her. That's it. If you pet and feed a dog, you're in. There's a lot to be said for that, though it's an easier trick for my dog than for any human.

Fun:

Have it. Now, while you can. There's never a bad time to play, never a bad time to enjoy a belly rub, never a bad time to eat. Today's all there is to a dog, and while I certainly understand the benefits of delayed gratification and working for money instead of playing like I want to, I have also learned to enjoy today, to live in the now and let tomorrow be tomorrow.

Forgiveness:

Dogs are happy to forgive the people they love most anything. There's a lot to be said for that. We all make mistakes, so let it go and let's play.

Defend what you care about:

My dog is willing to put his life on the line to protect us from the mailman's evil intentions every day. We should be willing to fight, if only with words on a little blog, for what matters to us.

Thanks to everyone for caring about my dog. It meant a lot to me. He may be only a dog, but he's taught me more than any book, any religion, any person every did.