This One's For My Dog

Have you ever wondered what your dog thinks of you? I've often looked in to my dog's eyes and wondered exactly what she thinks of me. People say that a dog doesn't have any expressions. That, is a complete misconception. My dog has this amazing ability of being able to talk with her eyes, her body, her ears, her tail, the hair on her back and of course through a few grunts and groans. I usually can tell what she wants by just looking at her expressions and I have to confess, I have been a little perturbed about the way she has looked at me on some occasions. It is an expression of complete disdain, as if to say, "oh what an idiot!" Over the years my dog and I have learnt to communicate with each other without saying anything at all. It's all in our body language and she can instantly tell when I am grumpy, sad or happy. I can confidently say that there is hardly anyone who can understand me as well as my dog does.

I feel lucky to have experienced and shared this emotional attachment with someone other than a human. And it's made me realise that there are so many people in this world who live their lives in complete ignorance of how animals can positively affect their lives. You've lost out on one of the most heart warming and fulfilling relationships if you have never experienced a special relationship with your dog.

There are so many times when a stray dog approaches me on the road wagging its tail. If I move towards it to pat it or just simply say a few soothing words, I'm usually stopped by whoever I am with. "Oh god, its so dirty!" "Yuck, don't touch it!" is usually what I hear. Or even more annoying is a loud shriek from a woman and then the clickety clackety of high heels trying to make a dash for her life. But why? What do you think a stray is going to do to you? It can't eat you and it won't bite you till you threaten it. And if you think this animal is a blood thirsty predator, more fool you!

Believe it or not, all the animals on this planet have as much right to be here as you. They have as much claim to space on earth as you have. They have as much right to live, eat or do anything as much as you have. They are your equal partners to everything that life has to offer on this planet. You are mistaken if you think yourself to be a superior being. There is a constant ongoing debate as to who really is the superior being on this planet. Humans don't tend to do too well on the physical front. We're actually very weak on every aspect when it comes to our physical or bodily strength and dexterity. We probably score better on the basis of our mental abilities. Apparently we are more intelligent than every other being. hmmm...

Here's some food for thought. If we really are so intelligent, then why have we done everything in our power to ruin our home, earth. We may have progressed (or have we?) but at what cost? Pollution, global warming, scarcity of resources, etc are all costs we have to now incur due to progress. So, is this really progress? Secondly, if we really are so intelligent, why do we kill each other? Why do we go to war? Ever heard of animals going to war? Think about it. Are we really more intelligent?