This morning I took my dog to a cafe' where we could sit outside and have some distraction from the routine of her day and the "grind" of mine. It was a great thing to do. She loved watching the people - things are busy all around because of the Holidays. I am profoundly aware of how she reacts to people. Sometimes, she leans toward a human, wagging her tail and even her body. Other times, she gets an expression of concern or even fear and it sure makes me wary of the person that she's watching. Dogs relate to the world in vastly more sensitive ways than we do. My dog never reacts to the sound of the house settling at night, the trees scraping the side of the house...but when a sound does make her alert and worried, I pay attention! She used to go to my studio in Tubac and sit while I painted. She gave me clues about the people that came in to see the Art. All this is common knowledge to dog lovers, but how often do we just take our canine companions for granted? If you get to know your dog better (or your horse, your cat, your sister!), you will get to know yourself better because they are always giving you information about how they perceive YOU.
