What the Dog Thinks

The unconditional love of a dog is one of the purest forms of love I’ve ever experienced. It also may be one of the most inaccurate. As the old bumper stickers used to say, “I wish I was half the person my dog thinks I am.”

Amusingly true. Most human flaws float above a loving dog’s awareness, which is more likely focused on food, a tennis ball, or a stick. To be fair, our awareness of canine minds is limited too. It’s the nature of awareness: we aren’t aware of what we’re not capable of perceiving.

I still celebrate unconditional love, no matter how flawed its basis. To care and be cared for without judgment is one of life’s most healing experiences. When the human world grows too troubled, the love of animals is a comforting refuge.

Many people act in accordance with the beliefs of others about them, too. It’s not just dogs. When other people expect my best, I tend to rise to the occasion. When I expect others’ best, they tend to do the same. Especially under conditions of extreme emergency, I’ve seen how often people rise to a level of extraordinary selfless service. I celebrate how most of us, when challenged, prove more capable of a better best than we believed possible. That includes our capacity for love, grace, and compassion. Humans can still be miraculous, in that regard—including and especially those who have had to struggle themselves to get there.

Unconditional dog love provides me inspiration for how to aspire to treat each other, in these times of emergency. Though we may never be half the people that our dogs think we are, we can still focus daily on loving with less judgment. On compassion for ones who have challenging struggles, including ourselves. On being, just for a moment, the best half of what loving ones nearby perceive us to be.

If all of that fails, we can still go run around on a beach, barking at the wind and chasing sticks. That’s still my definition of pure joy, and a very attainable one at that. I think I would’ve made an excellent golden retriever. Maybe next life.