This article was printed in our local newspaper back in July. I decided to share it on my blog because I know there are a lot of pet owners out there.
Lessons I learned from my dogs
Besides loyalty and companionship, dogs have a lot more to
offer us. If we take the time to watch and connect with them, we can learn some
important lessons.
Having dogs helped me through a dark time when I didn’t know
if I would be permanently disabled. Crippled by severe pain, it was easy to
give in and stay in a pain-medication fog, but my dogs depended on me to care
for them while my husband was at work. So, I forced myself to get up and fight
to get better.
My recovery had a lot to do with lessons I learned from my
dogs. The first one is perseverance. Animals don’t allow an illness or injury
to stop them from enjoying life. One of my dogs hurt her leg and managed just
fine by hopping around on three, even chasing rabbits, until her leg healed. In
the animal world, only the strong survive and unfortunately, this is also a
harsh truth in the human one, a frightening reality I came close to
experiencing.
Another important lesson is living in the moment. Dogs know
how to relax in the sun and watch birds or sniff the different scents in the air.
This reminds me to stop and enjoy a sunset or take in the wildlife in my
backyard, to put my troubles aside. I’ve also learned the importance of
exercise and play to keep physically and mentally fit. Dogs love to play. I
have a nightly ritual with my Chihuahua. We play a game where I try to take his
toy (a plush chicken or banana) away from him, if I can. He’s very fast. I come
away from this refreshed and ready to work on writing or editing. This also
helped me heal because exercise and physical therapy was very important to my
recovery and for the regular management of my chronic condition.
My dogs have also taught me the importance of taking breaks,
letting me know when it is time to eat or go outside—and always at the same
time each day. This routine keeps me from sitting too long at the computer and
worsening my back pain. After a break, I return to work, my energy restored.
Dogs have remarkable intuitive abilities. They know when a
storm is approaching, when someone is coming home, or whether they like someone
or not. This has taught me to listen to my intuition, especially when it came
to finding the right occupation and exercise schedule that suited my health
issues. I kept trying to do things the way I had before my illness. Once I
stopped fighting myself and listened to my gut feeling, everything fell in to
place.
The unconditional love dogs offer us might be the most
important lesson. They love you regardless of your problems, your physical
appearance, or your imperfections. This lesson has helped me strengthen my
human relationships.
The lessons I learned from my dogs improved my life in ways
I never realized until I opened my eyes and took notice, and I can’t imagine
living without at least one dog by my side.
Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author
Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly
