Normal Dog Behavior Is Messy and Delightful, Just Like Farm-Fresh Eggs!
This weekend I was lucky enough to score some farm-fresh, organic eggs from pasture-raised chickens. They are delightful! For me, opening the egg carton to behold the soft palate of pastel-colored eggs of different shapes and sizes was akin to opening a treasure chest. Not to mention the thought of the rich, golden goodness that is waiting inside. Farm eggs look at taste nothing like store-bought factory eggs or even “free-range” eggs produced in giant industrial barns under deplorable conditions. They are more nutritious than industrially produced eggs too.
The woman who gave me the eggs mentioned that a visiting family member would not eat these fabulous gems. The colors and variety in size and shape freaked her out. The eggs were... dirty! They had just come out from underneath the chickens after all. This visitor went on to explain that she would only eat white eggs with an ink stamp of approval from whatever “farm”.
Her perception is that uniform, pristine looking eggs were somehow superior to actual farm eggs because they looked so “sanitary”. That uniformity is exactly what freaks ME out about factory-farmed eggs! Real food comes from farms. Farms have dirt, bugs, animals and plants that actually live outside. In nature.
Perhaps it’s easier for some not to think about where food comes from when it’s sanitized and made to look different from what it actual is, but that sort of denial creates a disconnect from the process of growing and raising food also produces a whole host of problems. Sanitizing food takes away nutrition and adds pesticides, hormones, and industrial farming in bulk fosters the growth of bacteria and disease.
What’s this got to do with dogs, you may ask? Very much in my opinion. Think about it.
A lot of what people call “problems” in dogs are actually just normal dog behaviors. There seems to be a great disconnect between our expectations of living with a dog and what a dog really is.
Just like many people want their eggs to be white and tasteless, many people want dogs without any flavor or signs of life. They want a sanitized weekend plaything that doesn’t make messes or require much time and effort. They want to the absence of “behavior”. In reality, they don’t want a dog, but rather a playful automaton with a convenient on and off button.
Life is messy and full of surprises. I’d much rather have the rainbow of fresh, rich and unique eggs in a basket and the joy of interacting with and cuddling a dog who acts like a dog, even if that means I get covered in mud and slobber sometimes. Wouldn't you?
