TALK TO YOUR DOG
Tell your dog you love them. If your dog is deaf, sign it. If he is selected deaf.. well, than you are on your own!
Dogs are our confidants. With purpose and sometimes without intent, we tell our dogs things that would almost never be uttered to another human being (at least not to their faces). We also tell them mundane things — anything and everything, actually. So why do we do it? Do we believe our dogs “get” what we say? Do you talk to your dog?
I actually know my dog understands a lot of what I say. Here are a few areas in which I always find myself talking to my dog:
When I’m thinking through my schedule
“Mommy has to go get groceries and then run to pick up her dry cleaning and she’ll be right back.” How many of you can relate to saying things of that sort to your dog? Or how about, “Let me just check IG and like a few things and then we’ll play, okay?” Nod in agreement if you bargain your time and explain this to furchild.
When I’m just rambling.. when asked 'who are you talking to'
With a four-legged, 24/7 listener at my feet, I finally have an answer to their querying of my mental status. “The dog — that’s who I’m talking to.” Enough said.
When I’m venting
“Don’t ever become a human. People can be mean.” After a bad day or an annoying phone call, who better to understand than our canine life partners?
I’ve been annoyed on the phone, and immediately upon hanging up, a few choice words dangle in the air. In mixed company, these things would never be spoken. It doesn’t matter, though, with my dog at my feet: What happens in gri's earshot stays in gri's earshot.
I feel more at ease in what I say around my dog than I do most people. True, he won’t and can’t talk, but even if he could, the spirit and loyalty of a dog convinces me there are some secrets he will take to his grave. Is it any wonder that we share so much of who we really are when no one is looking (or listening)?
When I’m singing.. hence gri's selected deafness.. rude..
Sometimes when I 'sing' too loud I get a heavy sigh (usually because I woke him up from a nap).
Having loved and lost a dog, I realize the short span of time we have with these precious beings. And adopting senior dogs want you even more to enjoy every waking moment.. The acronym-of-the-moment YOLO (you only live once) resonates.
Although I have 3 dogs, I spend personal time with each one of them.. grigri loves getting mssages, Lily loves to play with her toys and Dulce is a certified lapdog..
Dogs speak with their hearts. Whether anything I say makes actual sense is up for debate. But I know he’s listening, which puts him in a category all of his own.
How about you? Do you talk to your dog? What sort of things are you saying?
signed
a 'Senior Dog' mom-O-Holic