Did He Catch It?
Our family has owned a lot of dogs. Well, I’m not sure “owned” is the right word. Maybe it would be more correct to say that we’ve been “owned” by a lot of different dogs.
We had a collie named Laddie. He used his Scottish instinct and began herding a neighbor’s sheep without being asked. The neighbor liked it so much, he asked if we’d allow Laddie to do it every day.
We’ve had registered dogs and pure bred mutts. Liked the mutts best, looking back on it. We had a neighbor once who had a pug. That dog looked like it had chased a parked car! One question I’ve always had centers on why dogs chase cars. What would they do IF they caught one? (g)
An even greater question involves why dogs chase their own tails. I observed a dog at one of my parks yesterday. For nearly an hour, he chased his tail. Almost caught it once or twice. What would he have done if he’d actually caught his own tail?
I’ve heard people describe their harried, fast paced life as the equivalence of “chasing their own tail”. Great exercise, but doesn’t accomplish much! Do you chase your own tail? What would you do if you caught it? Are there better ways to order our lives so that we could quit chasing our own tails?
I’m counting on y’all to help answer these heavy, important questions. (g) If you have some ideas or experiences to share, just use the “Leave a Reply” box below! I’ll be glad to hear from you and will reply.
Just as I was writing this stuff, I found the following list in the opening box from AOL. Maybe a little humor will help us along the way.
There isn’t much out there that bugs a dog. But there are times when things can get under the skin of even the “coolest” dogs. Here are some of their top pet peeves… from the mouths of dogs themselves.
- Not sharing in the fruits of your labor. I don’t mean “fruit” actually. I mean that beautiful, 1 1/2 -inch steak you cooked to such aromatic perfection. We’re all part of the pack, right? Why am I not getting my share?
- Not Understanding My Behavior. Okay, so I like to greet strangers by leaping on them. I like to chase my tail by that lead crystal vase you call an heirloom. I’m not misbehaving; I’m a dog for crying out loud. It’s all good, like shadow chasing helps build eye-to-paw coordination.
- 3. Bathing. What is with the daily bath “thing” that humans do? And why do they inflict that obscenity upon me on occasion? Just when I think I am smelling fine, they bathe me. I really don’t understand. I’m only going to go out and roll in “something” again They just do not appreciate the effort it takes to get that perfect doggie odor.
- 4. Being Away. I love attention and being around people, noise and excitement. When you are away, at work, or running errands … this is time away from me. Don’t you know? It is ALL about me. Your life should revolve around me AND I can make you regret leaving me behind…………
- 5. Not Letting Me Chase the Squirrel. They torment me by placing a glass wall called a window between me and lots of critters outside. How annoying. All I want to do is “play” with them … What is a dog to do?
- 6. Cat Nip. Now this is one peeve that really annoys me. I see the cat roll and play and even cry out in joy in response to cat nip. I smell it, eat it, lick it and …….. nothing happens. Nothing! I don’t get it.
- 7. Not Letting Me at the Mailman. This is so unfair. I wait all day for the mailman and finally he comes. The anticipation is great. Then, they hold me back. Tell me to be quiet. Very annoying. They don’t appreciate the fact that the mailman comes everyday and I single handedly scare him away! My bravery and courage are unappreciated.
- 8. When My Owner is Playing with the Other Dog or Cat. This really hurts my feelings. Seeing MY owner play with someone else. It is all about me… They really don’t understand.
- 9. Sharing the Bed. I don’t understand why I have to sleep on the floor. Why can’t I have the bed and they sleep on the floor? I work hard all day and night. I protect my owners, guard the house and scare away invaders of my castle such as the mailman, cats, squirrels, and a multitude of other creatures. I should be pampered.
- 10. Rolling up the Windows. I feel such joy from the little words of “wanna go bye bye.” This gives me thoughts of having the window down with cool wind blowing through my hair, looking just dynamite as other dogs stare from the curbs in envy and awe. And just when I am really getting into it – head out, ear flapping, they roll up the window. Then I am forced to stare at other dogs going by with their heads out the window. Mega bummer!
– This weeks Inside Out just leaves me speechless. I’ve never been able to figure out how folks can verbally abuse a child like that and not think that it is doing damage!!!…….It just makes me SO SO very sad………I do hope this person calls you, or at least that he will re-think the way he is treating that child. You did GOOD again!!!!!
– I read your article on Heartwarming. It’s so true what you wrote. Many times I’ve wanted to tell a short tempered parent exactly what you said to this child’s grandfather. I have two grown sons, and I can honestly say that I have never verbally abused them (physically either). I remember being told as a child I was *stupid* and that really affected me. Did you ever spill your milk glass at the dinner table and get scolded? Now we’re adults and if we spill our drink no one says a word. Thank God I had the intelligence to realize that I wasn’t stupid and also not to pass on this terrible thing to my children. Too many people are not fit to have children, simply because they don’t want to take the time to properly guide them. They’re simply too wrapped up within themselves.
– Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!!!!! No, I’m not thanking you for sending the article to me even though I certainly appreciate it. I am thanking you for doing what you did to make that idiot grandfather realize what he had b een doing. Even though he probably will never understand where you were coming from it courage for you to speak up like you did. If only more of us would take a stand when it counted maybe we could, if not eliminate, at least slow down child abuse. I get so angry when I see something like you described. However, I also get really frustrated when I see parents who literally allow their children raise themselves.
– You’re story struck home with me. You see, I could have been that boy you were talking about. But I was a little girl and it was my father who would talk to me like that. One day, my father was belittling me in front of one of his friends. This man, stood up to my father and told him to give me a break and not be yelling at me like that. That incident was around 40 years ago, and to this day I am thankful for that man taking my side. So, hopefully, that boy will remember the kind stranger who stuck up for him.
– Yup! Been there and went through that. If parents would only stop and think before they speak. I was on the receiving end of that sort of behavior all my childhood and even into my adult life. People don’t realize the hurt words can accomplish, the terrible insecurity they can instill in a child by the name calling and lack of positive enforcement.
papaspipeline.org 