The girl and the dog..

Ananya, my daughter always has a request that we do not bathe our dog, when she is returning home for vacations, she wants to smell the doggy when she is back and does not want to alter that unique (fragrance to her), smell to most, by any artificial shampoo/soap etc.

I have always been curious of this request as to what makes this experience so endearing to her, where-as some others have indicated “Your room smelled of dogs”.

Is this a girl’s way of telling me that sometimes true love cannot be measured by societies’ standards ?

After all, the most precious things( pure and unconditional love) in life can often not be seen, ?but it can be felt and sometimes smelled!

What management lessons do we take away from this curious interaction between the girl and the dog?

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Consistency and Predictability of response :

The furry one will always be at the door to welcome you with a surge of love and affection. It never changes even if they have had a bad day, been growled at by their fellows on the street, not keeping too well, their response is always consistent and predictable, no mood swings there.

Ability to read the Room:

They have an uncanny ability to read the room, they will always try and solace the one that appears to be most deserving of their affection and warmth, And in spite of all that they have been through they smell no resentment.

Prioritisation:

The have an uncanny ability to immediately zoom in on what was really important for the girl (or on the biggest potential source of her problems) and concentrate on that. Their ?natural impulse is focus on the really important stuff. And because they do that so well, girl always just assumed the dog understood the rest.

Clarity:

When they want their food on their food time, they will demand for it. When they want it out of turn they will request for it and my daughter read somewhere that those puppy eyes demanding a bite of food is not natural, it is a learnt behaviour over multiple generations.

Focus on Value:

Know your stakeholders, know your boundaries, they will never ask for things that cant be delivered, they will never ask a stranger for something. Despite being severely challenged because on the inability to speak or smile, they leverage the tools such as the tail to communicate value – you can make fear, love, happiness all very apparent without saying a word.

Thoroughness:

They will stick by your bedside if you are unwell and till you are well again, they will not let distractions hamper their full concentration on the big picture, no wonder some of them are called Therapy beings..

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The day we brought the puppy home was the day my teenager made a new friend. The dog was her confidante that took care of her just as much as she took care take care of her. She taught her how to forgive and forget the times she’s chewed up her shoes, salivated over her dress, etc.

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In Summary, so blessed am I ,that my house smells like dogs ?and as Anatole France said

"Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened."