Happy Dogs

You may have watched dogs fetch a stick, play with a ball or pull on a tug-of-war toy. You can see the dogs’ pure, unadulterated joy wagging his tail, bouncing around and infecting you with their boundless energy. Seeing a dog’s tail wag when he is playing or when we walk into the room is always uplifting.

Years ago we had a Chinese Shar Pei named Duke. He thought he was too sophisticated to chase balls or play with dog toys, but he loved going for a walk. He would tumble and roll around on the ground with other dogs until his tongue was hanging out. It would remind me of the character in the movie Rocky who was so tired he would have to lean on his opponent just to stand. 

When Duke would return home after these playtimes he would sprawl out on his side, snoring so loudly that it sounded like a freight train roaring down the track. Then when he woke up, he’d nudge our hand with his nose to let us know that he was ready to go for another walk. Even when he was older and had trouble moving around, we would say the word “walk” and he would spring toward the door.

Regardless of how much exercise that Duke had, he was still a picky eater. However, he was never finicky about steak. As soon as we turned on the grill, he was never far away; hoping we’d accidentally drop a morsel.

Last night, the steak scraps from my dinner were destined for the garbage can until I remembered my brother’s dog, Lucky. I wrapped the pieces in aluminum foil to take with me to his house.

For today’s gift, my mother carefully fed the scraps to Lucky. Her tail wagged excitedly, awaiting each and every next bite. I wonder if dogs know how much they enrich our lives with their joy and enthusiasm. I hope that we all can have more things in our lives that spread joy like a happy dog can.

In Giving,

Robin