A Dog’s Life

Although I often object to the subliminal brainwashing and delusory language of TV advertising, for the last few months, a certain mobile phone network’s TV commercials have amusingly urged us to ‘be more dog’, and I’m glad to hear it, as this is guidance I have always advocated in life. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying we should all start licking ourselves clean, toileting in public and sniffing the anuses of potential friends, but we humans could learn a lot about attitude from our canine companions, because dogs truly understand how to live, love and be happy, and people don’t.

The last time I completely fell for someone (and that’s a rare thing), it was a guy who reminded me a little of a dog. Before we descend into jokes about appearance and/or bestiality, let me explain that he displayed a combination of attentiveness, warmth, expression and zeal at levels not usually found in a fellow human, certainly not one of the male variety, and it was those admirable dog-like characteristics and high ideals that I found irresistibly attractive. So apart from improving general quality of life, being more dog is obviously also a surefire way to become magnetic to the opposite sex, at least if you’re looking to attract a weirdo like me.

This ‘dog diary’ meme has done the rounds online, and while it might initially make dogs seem like fickle creatures, we know they’re actually famous for their steadfast loyalty. The point is that dogs live simply, take things in their stride and graciously accept whatever life throws their way. They try their hardest to enjoy whatever they’re doing at any given moment, put 100% of their energy and enthusiasm into it and never give up. I’ve worked in veterinary hospitals for years, and seen many collapsed dogs with the most horrific, painful injuries and illnesses come in, still bright eyed and wagging their tails. They are also expert spontaneous opportunists – if a crumb falls, they grab; if something smaller than them runs, they chase; if the gate is left open, they escape. But best of all, they are immune to the greatest curse of humankind – habituation. If a dog finds something exciting, it remains just as exciting the thousandth time it happens to them as it was the very first, and this is a precious gift which we sadly lack.

One of my favourite things about dogs is their incredible capacity for empathy. They can tell how you’re feeling at times when even you can’t, and are subsequently motivated to offer the appropriate cuddle, wag or energetic game needed to change or lift that mood. One of my current pet dogs is quite the comedian, and will go out of his way to perform and make me laugh whenever he senses I need it. My closest human friends rarely reach that calibre of insight and consideration.

Even the thing I dislike most about dogs could actually be considered a blessing that humanity has always struggled to understand. In the great Cats vs. Dogs debate, I’ve always thought cats had the slight advantage for their fierce independence and take-no-crap approach. Dogs, on the other hand, will continue to love for absolutely no reward, whether their devotion is returned or not, and taken to its greatest extreme - even if the object of their affection abuses them. But while this may seem like a weakness to the average human mind, there is another perspective – that they understand the meaning and value of unconditional love to a depth that no Buddhist monk has ever managed to achieve. Like the famous images of hippies offering flowers to heavily armed soldiers, they might seem crazy, but perhaps they’ve got it right. Maybe they already possess the ultimate inner peace that gurus strive for, and have always known what the Beatles have been trying to teach us for decades – that all you need is love. It’s possible that the superior morals of dogs means they are almost Jesus-like in their ability to continue giving love freely to those who may not deserve it, but who definitely need it most.

So, I urge everyone to appreciate the finer qualities of our canine friends, and also to listen to Sean Bean and heed the message of those adverts. Don’t go out and sign up to a phone contract because of it, but definitely be more dog. 

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