The Gifts Dogs Give Us
Photo © Molly Kenefick
One of my favorite things to do, as the afternoon light begins to slant across the East Bay hills, is to hike across a big field with a pack of five or six dogs. When I turn to call them, my daycare packmates run to me, sprinting across the grass in ebullient joy. For their prompt recall, I give them treats or praise, then release them again, so they can run back to their friends in the field, joining a gorgeous wave of dog happiness.
On days like these, I feel like the conductor of a symphony or the choreographer of a wonderful dance we create together. I think of the Picasso painting of the women dancing. The dogs and I dance together every day.
I keep my canine crew safe, as together we exercise and explore Bay Area parks, trails, and beaches. Later, after our adventures, when their families come home or push away from online school or Zoom meetings, the dogs are relaxed and happy, ready to give their humans the love they need now more than ever.
Photo courtesy Doggy Lama Pet Care
This is what dogs do for us. They reconnect us to our essence of being animals in the world. They remind us to enjoy the breeze, the grass, the earth under our feet, the sunshine. Together, we’re suspended in the present, not thinking about the past or the future. Dogs keep us grounded.
When we’re overwhelmed by the day’s news or challenges at work or school, there is no cure like a dog waiting for us, acting as if they haven’t seen us in a year. We hug them and hold them. We kick off our shoes and are happy. They are with us and we with them. It's a pure antidote to all the disconnected layers of technology between us and the rest of the world. It makes us whole again.
Dogs give us these priceless gifts every day. I couldn’t be more thankful.