Building a Team? Get a Dog!

Talk about a question I get all the time...

“Do you have pets?” Oh, yes. I’m a dog person.

“Why dogs?” Our two labs - Wyatt and Trinity - are one of my most trusted “teams.”

We have great dogs in our family. There are the two that are at home with Laura and me. ?(They miss our daughter massively since she has gone off to college.) Our son Hunter’s beagle, Winnie, loves to visit and explore on her own - apparently, beagles are famous for running away, but they are equally enamored of other dogs - so she loves to play with her cousins. Our son R.J.’s retriever, Buster, is growing up as part of the extended team as well, and has played a first-team role with our grandson Bryce and granddaughter Avery.? Buster has had to be flexible and adapt from being the only one to one of three, and embrace that the larger team is a stronger team.

Pets make my life exponentially better. And though we’re a dog family—hence this article’s emphasis—all pets make our lives richer! I know many cat-inhabited homes, some with dogs, too!, whose kitty parents love the independence, intelligence and affection of their felines. From dogs to cats to fish to birds and guinea pigs, from chickens to actual pigs and all pets in between, having pets gives us a peek into how we might take some lessons away from the animal world.

While I’m a lover of all animals big and small, dogs are where my heart is – and I’m a constant observer of the things they demonstrate on the regular that would make us the most loved family members, friends and leaders, if we could do them as consistently.

Oh, to have a dog’s heart when it comes to unconditional love and loyalty! And the forgiveness gene that seems part of their DNA, so that even when they’ve earned a verbal drubbing for breaking family heirlooms and skulked guiltily out of the room, their reset back to adoring us is quick and sure. No grudge-holding. I prefer to think of this as their heart, but Ted Lasso might call out his analogy of the short memory of the goldfish. Maybe it’s the perfect example of the positives of forgetting.

They’re also quite talented at living in the moment, something I can always improve. When they’re with us, we’re the most important person in the room. Or the dog park. And when they play, they give themselves wholly to it – they embody delight. I really admire this quality in people, being truly present.? (That comes with some downside as well, but that’s for another Asked and Answered.) They’re a great guide and reminder to us to appreciate what’s before us. After all, I’ve never yet seen a dog that was fretting about a bad decision they made a year ago. They move on.

They are probably the most emotionally intelligent animal ever to grace the earth, reading our moods and matching them, or comforting us through them. They’re great communicators, too – learning or demonstrating nonverbal cues that help us “speak” to each other. They’re often fiercely protective of us and our kids and the homes they safeguard. They trust us to keep them safe, to feed and care for them, to help them pass on when it’s their time to leave us.

Dogs are also great teachers when it comes to showing appreciation. Lots of life and work lessons to be learned there about delivering thanks for those in our paths.

That’s why I say they’re one of my best teams: they work hard, they follow, they lead, they play, they’re always finding something new and interesting, they’re innovative (at least, in finding new ways to coax food out of us), they push and pull when we need it… and at the end of the day, they’re always there.

Can we learn from them how to grow in loyalty and forgive more quickly? Can we be better at living in the moment, at turning away from distractions and truly enjoying those in our presence? I for one believe so.

The hardest part is they don’t stay on the team forever, and it’s a heartbreak to say goodbye, which we had to do late last year with our sweet Emmy, who is truly missed. Still, we know that while we have them, these special team members are gently powerful examples and teachers of how to be better humans.

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