Here it is, October 10, and the temperature this afternoon in the dog park was probably 85. Not too much humidity. A breeze. Shade. Everyone was talking about how maybe – maybe – winter Florida style would be arriving soon. But the dogs told a different story.
The dogs panted, slobbered, kept going to the fountain for water. And that huge great dane there on the ground is Dharma, not even a year old, and she drinks a lot of water. She’s the biggest dog in the park and just wants to play – with any dog, any human. She trots over to the bench where I’m sitting and thrusts her huge muzzle at my bottle of water, knocking it to the ground. Play with me, and if you won’t, I’ll eat your water bottle. She slobbers, she licks, she’s the kind of dog who captures your heart immediately.
Cody the trickster husky starts chasing her and for about five minutes they tussle in the grass. Here’s Cody and Noah:
And when Dharma finally gets to her feet, Noah comes up behind her, mounts her, and knocks her to the ground. That’s when all the little dogs moved in to sniff and nibble at her feet and legs and ears. She takes it, she loves it.
Dharma, like her great dane brother Mufasa, who wasn’t around today, is probably an old soul, probably remembers her previous lives, her previous human companions. Dharma and Mufasa probably have a secret school in some obscure corner of the dog park where they and their students are invisible to humans. I think Noah may sit in on this class, but it’s tough getting a straight answer from him on anything. He’s an Aquarian born February 12, 2009. He’s resolute, he misses his buddy sister Nika, but oh wow, does he ever love his Frisbee.
Every time I go to the dog park, which is probably four or five times a week, I’m invited to join the dog’s world, where everything is apparent if you watch closely enough. Where everything entails synchronicity, something dogs seem to instinctively recognize and honor.
I wish there was a cat park where I could observe our three felines. They are: Tigerlil, who at age 15, is the deaf matron and doesn’t photograph well because she is always moving; Powder, whom we fond in a library parking lot, is at least 12 and maybe as old as 13, the most accepting of our cats; and Simba, our youngest, a male brought to us by our neighbor. I wish I could divine their psyches in the same way that that I do the psyches of dogs.
But hey, a cat will be the first to tell you that he or she is NOT a dog, dislikes the doggie slobbering and pandering to humans. Yet, I believe that cats, are also our cheerleaders, our teachers, and even though they don’t have parks and wouldn’t do well in such parks, they get it, too. We’re all in this together. We are Indra’s net, animal and human alike, and what affects me impacts you up and down the line.
Dog Park. You, me, them. We’re on it.
Right?
That’s so true – we get glimpses through synchronicity; dogs are already there.
It’s to do with being present, isn’t it? When my friend’s terrier is playing, she’s playing (also winning, because she’s a terrier, and that’s what she does). When she’s greeting you with love, she’s greeting you with love. (She doesn’t leave you much room for doubt – or breathing, come to that…) When she noticed I had a bad toe, she licked it until the pain went away. (It was joint pain – goodness knows how she knew.) When she’s tired, she sleeps. When she’s in the woods, she’s in the woods. Always wholly present.
animals act without prejudice and preconceptions. they love life. if only humans could be more receptive to their sense, maybe we’d also get along better…
Well said, shadow!
I have so many cat stories that would take a book to write. So will spare you. And for sure Trish can write one about the politics she learned about people in a dog park.
I have often wondered what my cats are up to when they romp in the night. Where do they go? What do they do? I saw some where that someone had put a little camera around the neck of their cat that took movies in the dark of just what their cat was doing. Only a cat lovre would think this would be a fun gadget to have. Of course, even if I were to find one I am sure the cost would prevent me from buying the darlings their food. So I am dropping that idea.
A cat camera! 🙂
now your blog is getting somewhere….. this year synchros astro… perfect games and swords come to memory…….. not like anything bozo’s read…
I LOVE THIS POST!!!!!!!!! Once again, I cannot recommend highly enough that EVERYONE get copies of the two books, A DOG’S PURPOSE and A DOG’S JOURNEY. They are simply wonderful. Prepare to laughg. Prepare to cry. Prepare to stay up all hours of the night turning the pages. When we first were talking about these books here on the blog, someone (don’t recall who) that she wasn’t fond of the references to felines, but as yet she hadn’t read the books. Without spoiling anything, allow me to say that before the end of the journeys, the canine and felines were fast friends and the escapades of the felines were also simply wonderful, as were their interactions with the dogs.
Animals are so very wise and so unconditionally loving, often to owners who abuse them. It’s almost impossible to lose the love of a pet, once earned. Our Tuxedo cat and Sunshine are terrific buds now. The neighbors find enormous amusement that Thoth (cat) and Sunshine go on walks together and do their “business” side by side. It IS funny, and adorable, to watch. Something else that is strange is that all the WILD animals have no fear of either Thoth or Sunshine. The cat and dog never make any move to bother the wild critters, who are so tame that some of them are now hand-fed. Love it!!! Thoth lays on the car hood or the ramp at our front door and the squirrels and birds come within inches of him. He simply lays there and switches his tail, but doesn’t move otherwise. They trust him.
One of the “new” squirrels in the group, a baby, walks all around him and he doesn’t budge. He seems to sense that if he were to move it would frighten the little tyke, so he stays still. I fully expect to one day see the cat and squirrel nose-to-nose. Am keeping a camera handy. There’s a bird nest in the tree just outside our bay window, and he never attempted to snag the baby birds when they hatched. He could easily have reached them, but instead he just watched them, and they were well within his reach. He’s a big, un-neutered hunter, but not OUR critters. This menagerie gives us an inside view of animal behavior, and it’s gratifying and thrilling. Wish humans were as evolved!
An ow reading a dog’s journey. Nearly as good as the first one.
We are free of animals at the present time, which is strange in some respects as we’ve always had a dog and two or three cats – sadly the last of the animal members of the family has now moved on to higher level pastures.
Love the idea of Dharma and Mufasa having a ‘secret school’. There’s lots to be learnt from observing and being with family animals.