Never Pass Up a Dog’s Invitation to Play

Do you ever get caught in the trap of living your life down to the wire? The ship is so tight that a broken shoelace can mess up the entire day? Sprinting to get errands done, scuttling into agility classes still chewing on a granola bar dinner, rushing home to start dinner, cutting training time short so you aren’t late to the next engagement. And once you are late, you never catch up. Sound familiar?

This kind of planning, or complete lack of it, leaves you exhausted, and wondering why the dog is looking at you like you’re a crazy person as you try to work an agility course.  They have no clue why we’re running out of the pet store (though he’s loving that we get to run). And they certainly don’t understand time. All they know is that playtime has stopped when they are just getting warmed up. Or that we don’t have playtime at all.

To our dog’s and family’s demise, we push things to the wire because we try to cram a lot into a little time.  There’s no easy fix for modern day mania, either, but sometimes, just for a moment, I like to look down at my dog and live in the moment with him. Or when he gives me a play bow, stop what I am doing and become a kid again and take him up on the offer. He knows I’ve focused on him and he comes alive in response to me, and we’re together, flying across the parking lot or agility course or lying on the couch.  Those moments are the most rewarding moments imaginable for me, and I’ll bet they’re your best moments too.

Today, live in the moment with your dog, just for a little.  Let the wire go – you’ll get there when you get there!