A Letter from Chris Suarez
BE LIKE A DOG
This week I came home from a long day. It was a day of challenges - and that’s ok, because I signed up for challenges. My wife and kids had gone skiing so the house was dark when I pulled into the garage and walked into the kitchen. Immediately I was greeted by the sound of heavy footsteps, two paws on my chest, and Winston’s tongue all over my face. Winston is my 2 year old Vizsla. Don’t tell any of my previous dogs, but without question, he is my favorite dog I’ve ever owned.
I put down my stuff and played with him. When playing with a giant dog acting like a little child, it’s hard not to smile and just feel like all is right in the world. Ironically, when I had left that morning, he and I were not on good terms. He had just chewed up one of my favorite books. He doesn’t often do that. In fact, I can’t remember the last time he did. He does have his moments where he decides to do something to get under my skin, purely with the motive of getting my attention.
But a few hours later he didn’t remember me scolding him. A few hours later he didn’t remember me leaving the house upset at him. A few hours later he didn’t give me the cold shoulder. Just a few hours later, the minute he heard me come home, he jumped off the bed and ran down the hallway with boundless energy - to meet me before I even crossed the threshold. He was there to show me how much he missed me. He showed me he was excited to see me. He showed me he forgave me and forgot what we had argued about. He showed that he loved me.
A dog’s love and relationship with their owner is unconditional. It doesn’t matter what happens, they just want you to know that they love you, and they just want to be loved. Is there a more perfect relationship? Whether you were upset at them minutes before, or they were upset at you over anything at all, within a moment all is forgotten and they treat you like you are the most important person in the world. And to them, you really are.
As I was kneeling on the floor playing with my dog, and now throwing his ball that he had brought to me down the hallway, I couldn’t help but think we all need to have just a little more canine in us.
As humans we hang on to things too long. We ignore people that we feel we had a bad interaction with, or we offer the cold shoulder hours or perhaps days after a meaningless argument. We struggle to forgive. Or perhaps we can forgive, but we just don’t forget. Just be a little more like a dog. They never hold a grudge. They are always willing to start fresh. They forgive and forget immediately. They will always greet you like it’s the first time they’ve seen you. Regardless of what happened between you, or how terrible of a day they had, they are there waiting to welcome you home and remind you of their commitment. You forgot to feed them? That’s ok, they love you anyway. You left them home alone for too long? That’s ok, they love you anyway. You didn’t have time to play with them, take them for a walk, or bring them to the park? That’s ok, they love you anyway. Just be a little more like a dog.
Or maybe it’s the display of emotion that we really struggle with. We really appreciate someone, but we don’t know how to tell them. We value someone’s friendship, but we are uncertain as to how to share that. We love someone, but we don’t know how to express it. There are things we’d like to say, but we avoid the conversation or don’t know how to bring up the subject. Just be a little more like a dog. They never hide their feelings. They are all-in and you know when they are. They don’t get nervous about showing their cards. They express their emotions with their entire body - from their wet nose to their aggressive tongue to their jumping body to their wagging tail. They love you and they are good at letting you know that they do.
We’d all have deeper, more engaged, more loving, relationship rich lives if we just were a little bit more like a dog. There is something special about dogs. They are there when you need them the most - in times of winning, and losing, and abundance, and loss. They feel and sense things in ourselves that we may not even notice. They can walk or run with you for hours without a complaint. And their loyalty is undeserved and unconditional. If we all just showed up for each other a bit more like our puppies show up for us, I’m certain the world would be a better place.
Just be a little more like a dog.
Chris