There are few pleasures in life for me than meeting a true gentle giant in body and soul. I met such a dog this evening and his name was Moose. Moose is 195 pounds of all Newfoundland dog. His human is named Kurt. Moose used to have his own webpage. Kurt forgot to renew his domain name for his site and lost it, unfortunately. He's thinking of restarting the page for Moose and I hope he does. I'll be watching for it and will share the site name if and when he comes back on line. The first thing I noticed about Moose was his shear size and that he lumbered, like a bear, as he moved through the pack of dogs at the park. I stood for the longest time just watching him move. The second thing I noticed about Moose was his gentle nature. What a lovely dog. I was totally and completely smitten the moment I laid eyes on him.
I had an opportunity to visit a city dog park tonight. What a great field study. I enjoyed myself tremendously. I stood there watching all the dogs interacting, cuing in on their body language and communication. I couldn't help but think, we can learn so very many important lessons from dogs. There were outgoing dogs, shy dogs, large and small dogs. Dogs of all breeds and mixes of breeds. Humans smiling while watching dogs playing. It was good. All the dogs got along well. A couple dogs were bit obnoxious but no dogs took offense. They did, however, ask the dog who was a bit out of order to relax in a calm and assertive way. No muss, no fuss. When a dog would give a cue that he would prefer not to play or take part in play, the other dog moved on. Simple. I saw and felt a great deal of joy, of being in the moment, of not taking offense or feeling sorry for oneself (one dog appeared to have a permanent limp), of not noticing differences or making fun. What I did notice was a great deal of acceptance, of getting along. I also observed that our dear Moose was a peacemaker. It was amazing watching him greet each new dog as they entered the small park. Watching him place himself between two high energy dogs; bringing order. Well done, Moose!
I wondered as I stood in one of the most important cities in our United States. A history rich place where leaders come together to meet, to plan, to make laws that affect our nation, the way we live. A place of great men and of not so great men who have influenced our nation for the good and the not so good. Unfortunately, the leaders I speak of don't always seem to be able to work together, to get along, to come together in such a open and accepting way, no personal agendas just focusing on what is best for the whole. I wondered; if we lived more in the moment, if we truly did to others that which we would have them to do us, if we could truly see the intent of a person's heart rather than judging the outside wrapping and if we could just let go of our own personal agendas. If we could focus on what was important, my goodness, what we could accomplish. Harmony.
We had the nicest conversation with Kurt. Kurt is interested in Moose becoming a Therapy Dog. I shared about Alli and my adventures in Therapy Dog work. It was such a pleasure as Kurt knew all about the R.E.A.D. program and the benefits for children struggling to read. He said the program was flourishing in this part of the country. What a true joy to speak with someone who understood all about the program. I am still educating people in my area and it has been a slow process. Most do not know a thing about the program nor understand the benefits. They have no idea how fortunate they are to have Alli and I right in our community ready, willing and able to run with this program. So many communities, all over the country, are looking for dogs who are able to do this. The demand and need seems greater than the dogs ready to fill that demand. It just did my heart good to talk with someone who understood and appreciated what we had to offer.
Turns out Kurt is originally from a small town in Ohio very close to where we live. We walked Kurt and Moose home as it was on our way. I watched people's expressions as they passed Moose - so fascinating. So many smiles. I wondered what would happen if Moose showed up on Capitol Hill, might he bring out a more gentler nature in people such as I saw this evening. I vote for Moose! I felt so privileged to walk with this most beautiful of God's creations. Sometimes you come up close and personal with a creature so magnificent, so gentle and stunningly beautiful it takes your breath away. Being around dogs has always grounded me, they make me feel at home no matter where I may be. What a lovely evening, what a nice unexpected pleasure.
