Dogs: The Pawsitive Force that Connects Us All

I’m headed back to L.A. on a cross-country flight after presenting a seminar in New Jersey. It was great fun, and featured two other speakers as well, one of whom was Dog Star Daily’s own “International Roving Reporter,” Roger Abrantes. The audience was mostly made up of trainers, but also included shelter and rescue workers, petsitters, a few owners, and a veterinarian. We all had one thing in common—a love of dogs and a desire to help them. Whether the audience was nodding knowingly at a situation only a “dog person” would understand, laughing at a story that could have been their own, or eagerly learning about training techniques that might help a dog in the future, it was evident that a connection was made.

When the seminar was over, one of the hosts, Sybil, drove me to the airport. Both hosts had been wonderful to work with and we’d had a lot of fun, but now the talk turned more serious. We chatted about how our dogs were both seniors, and we couldn’t bear the thought of losing them. Sybil said she’d attended an agility seminar where the presenter declared that when your dog passes away, you’d trade all of those great agility runs for just one more day with your dog. Sybil’s eyes misted over as she spoke, and I felt a lump rise in my own throat. I recalled the last APDT conference when, in her parting speech, Patricia McConnell talked about the pain of losing her beloved border collie. There wasn’t a dry eye in the house.

After four hours in flight, I needed to stretch my legs. I strolled down the aisle and, as is wont to happen to dog trainers, found myself in conversation with a man about his dog. He had a “Beagle/dog with attitude” cross, as he put it, who “smelled bad.” No, he didn’t mean the dog somehow missed a steak that had been left out on the kitchen counter; he meant the dog literally stank! I asked what brand of food the dog was eating and the man struggled to remember the name. I took a wild guess, and he shouted, “Yes! That’s it!” A brief discussion of canine nutrition ensued. I made a few suggestions as to other brands, and just as I mentioned Canidae, the male flight attendant materialized in front of me. “That’s what I feed my dog!” the now-perky, formerly-surly attendant proclaimed. Just twenty minutes earlier, paying for lunch with a bill that required five dollars in change had produced a grimace. He now had a smile and a twinkle in his eye. Thank you, Magical Powers of Dogdom.

A gentleman who was seated across the aisle had been listening and nodding along during our kibble conversation. When I commented that he seemed familiar with the topic, he replied that he had done a lot of research into which food would be best for his German Shepherd, as the dog had unfortunately had extensive medical issues. The Shepherd had died last year, and the man was considering getting a puppy. When he spoke about how he used to drive his dog out to a large park area, hike a mile in and let his dog run free, his eyes lit up. He suddenly looked happy despite the long, turbulent flight that had us all pretty exhausted.

Once you have children, it seems you are automatically enrolled in a special club with a language all its own, and a strong sense of unity. It’s the same with dogs. We can laugh together about our dogs’ antics, sympathize when dogs are ill or die, and share excitement over a new puppy. Regardless of race, age, background or lifestyle, dogs are a pawsitive, tranformative force that connects us all.