Anthropomorphic Moment

Recently, in the midst of laughing at something a witty houseguest had said, I dismissed my devoted hound. She had pushed her nose up into my face to try to say hi and to express how much she adored me but I was too wrapped up in my People Things to be bothered at that particular moment.

Rebuffed, she walked directly to the couch and began rubbing her head against the cushions. Not to scratch an itch, mind you – no, this was slow and methodical. Her ears and eyes weren't bothering her, and it was then that I realized she had made a truly remarkable breakthrough.

She is a self-petting dog.

This could change everything. And it goes way beyond the age-old cat vs. dog dispute. Friturier - an avowed dog hater - has already acknowledged a special affinity for Bella. Witnesses can attest that he pulled her lanky, 55 pound body into his lap one golden afternoon. Indeed, that little conflict is kaput. And yet there is much more to it than simply winning over a fussy cat person.

For if Bella, a mere hound of 7 years, can take responsibility for her own happiness, then we all can. If her basic need for a scratch behind the ears isn’t met, then she scratches behind her own ears. She does not suffer, and she does not complain. Yes, she certainly does still prefer to sit at my side being hugged with one hand and scratched with the other. Doubtlessly, she still prefers to stretch across the couch with her head in my lap.

And when we play fetch together she looks me in the eyes in a way that says, “this is not about the toy. It’s about fetching it with you.” You can’t fake that, and I know that nothing replaces that for her.

But she understands that sometimes those things can’t be done. And she’s OK with it, and she’s taking care of things on her own, thank you very much. She’s self-petting. And that’s no replacement for the real thing, but it’ll do. It’ll do for the moment.

Now I’m not a big fan of pet people claiming “Everything I Ever Needed To Know I Learned From My Dog” but I’ve got to give this one to Bella.

I think more of us could be self-petting dogs. Codependents, nosey neighbors, road ragers, bitter schoolteachers, presidents, Christians, kingpins, and kingpin Christian presidents could all take a lesson from Bella. Yes, yes, yes, you want it your way. But is it your turn? And can you see to your needs on your own for a bit? Just for a little while so that the rest of us can finish what we’re doing? We haven’t forgotten you and you’ll get what you need, but just not right this second.

If they would just go rub their heads against the couch cushions for a moment they might realize just how self-sufficient they really are.