I just made Little Bear a mug of tea. I didn’t intend to, but having offered him the dregs of my cold cuppa, I then went onto autopilot and tipped it down the sink without realising. I turned around to see him sitting patiently by his bowl waiting for his treat.
If a dog can look incredulous, he did. He starred at me and then at the upturned mug, then back at me. That beard hides a multitude of sins and I think today it consealed a muttered curse along the lines of ‘Muppet!’ although it might have been worse as he’s no doubt has a fine vocabulary of swear words after listening to Other Half shout at his computer for years.
And so to asuage my guilt, I made up a small, weak mug of tea with the spent t-bag from my fresh cup. He had to drink it out of the mug of course, just to add to the treat value of it for him and the cuteness factor for me.
So, am I indulgent? Delusional? Eccentric? Or do I just love my dog?
It got me thinking, what are we actually saying when we say that? ‘I love my dog.’
I’ve heard people say it about their handbag dogs dolled up in diamanté collars with painted nails who never put paw to pavement. I’ve heard it from people walking dogs so fat they can barely move let alone run or play and from others who despite having no time for their dog refuse to find it a better home because they ‘love him.’
The point is, love isn’t always enough. It’s a fiercely good start but only if that love propels you on to better understand your dog. Love as they say, is blind and in my humble opinion it can be deaf, dumb and downright bloody stupid too.
To be really loving to our dogs, or each other for that matter, we first need to take the time to understand them better. To figure out what they really need as opposed to what we think they need or worse, what makes us feel good through the giving. But even love and understanding are impotent without action. We need to apply that knowledge if it’s to make a genuine difference.
Ponder over, I’m off to google the effects of tea on canines.
The Little Bear Dog Blog 