It’s a dog’s life – let’s go with it

I have a lovely golden retriever named Clive. Watching him grow from a little tiny puppy into a full grown dog has been, except for a few nasty biological waste incidents, a really rewarding experience.

His approach to life is basic but useful to observe.  Perhaps, there are lessons here for our own lives.

1.  If you can’t find the ball, start sniffing around the last place you saw it and work in concentric circles until you find it.  
2. When you think a stick might be thrown, be sure to look up so you can see where it’s going to land.
3. When you meet someone new, greet them with a warm enthusiasm but don’t jump in their face.  That’s just too much for most people.
4. Even if it’s a really busy day, make sure to spend some time in the back yard enjoying the fresh air and squirrels.
5. If someone is offering to rub your head, then for heaven’s sake, stop and accept it.  Don’t waste that kind of opportunity.
6. Several times a day, stretch your whole body.  If it helps, make a little growling noise in mid-stretch.  There’s a reason yoga people have been doing the “Downward Dog” pose for centuries.
7. When someone comes home, always stop what you are doing (even if you are napping) and go to the door to say hello.

So the next time you see someone picking dog hair off their pants before a meeting, stop and see what they have learned from their dog.