penandpatience

WRITERS WORDS: “Dogs come into our lives to teach us about love. They depart to teach us about loss. A new dog never replaces an old dog. It merely expands the heart.” – Erica Jong

Readers: “Late Bloomin’ Writer,” my non-fiction essay, has recently been published on www.writeradvice.com under the heading “You Can’t Make This Stuff Up. Stop by and read it!

JANUARY 2023 MONTHLY MUSING

2023 – IS LIFE GOING TO THE DOGS?

2023– a New Year! My mind chooses not to be filled with this new year’s possible foibles. I remain upbeat hoping for a great 2023 for all. However, lately, my mind, in a good way, has “gone to the dogs.”

Many folks, with or without children, love animals and many have been dog owners. Our family, past and present, have dogs of various breeds from mixed heritage mutts😊 to various purebreds.  Today, dogs run the gamut from professionally trained to specific therapies and duties with many canines owner-trained (Yikes for an untrained dog!)  Dog owners acknowledge their dogs are intuitive and intelligent, but did you know they could also be emotional?

A recent article in the October 2022 issue of National Geographic states, “some animals have minds of their own and have complex emotions just like us.  An interesting fact. “An Australian Shepard being studied at the University of Vienna learned to be motionless in a magnetic resonance machine. Observing dog brains, scientists have found activity in areas similar to those in humans….”  “Words of praise lit up a dog’s reward centers. Videos of caregivers activated regions tied to attachment.” _ National Geographic, October 2022

Many dog owners believe their dogs have feelings, but there hasn’t been much scientific truth to back it up. “Canine cognitive science has come a long way over the past decade and can now prove dogs do have feelings. Not just simple feelings either; they display complex emotions such as jealousy. Researchers are just beginning to scratch the surface when it comes to understanding how complex their feelings really are.” – Puppy Leaks.com

I muse…some dogs became famous and were featured in former television shows and movies.  Who doesn’t remember “Lassie,” a fictional Rough Collie dog, originally featured in a short story by Eric Knight, later expanded into a novel called, “Lassie Come Home.” Folks today may   not recall the Saturday A.M. Roy Rogers- Dale Evans TV show. Yes, Roy had Trigger, a famous horse, but their dog “Bullet” always managed to sniff out the bad guys and save the day. There was Rin Tin-Tin, a male German Shepard, born in France who became an international star in motion pictures. Note: it was Rin Tin-Tin who was responsible for greatly increasing the popularity of German Shepard dogs as family pets. My family had Trojan, a purebred German Shepard. Trojan was well-trained, super intelligent with strong scent ability and could sniff out various requested scents.

Dogs are unique in they demonstrate unconditional love to family members. They show love in wagging tails when you return home from a rough workday. They ride, hopefully safe, in a vehicle, glad to be included in family outings even if it’s only to a drugstore or supermarket. They are observant, loyal, and non-judging companions.

Meet my grand-dog, Lancelot (above photo). He’s intuitive, intelligent and “emotional” showing loving reactions to most people.  DOG-GONE IT!  2023 -Is going to be a great year. HAPPY NEW YEAR!