Good Morning!!

31 Oct. 2013  If I had to assign a bible verse to my dog (bear with me!), I think it would be (at this particular moment, but it might change in the future!!) Psalm 118:24 that says “This is the day which the Lord has made; Let us rejoice and be glad in it”.    Every single morning of his life, Digger has greeted me with a wagging tail, eager to get the day started and eager to get his morning cuddle.  He sits outside my bedroom door waiting for me to open the door. When I do, he stands up, tail a-wagging as I stumble out in my pyjamas or dog walking clothes.  I say hello, give him a quick pat on the head and venture down the stairs. He knows the routine, so he follows, still wagging his tail and waiting for me to pour my first cup of coffee. I then go to the sun room, sit on the floor and pay attention to my furry companion.  I rub his back, his head, his chin and clear his eye-boogies (can’t stand eye-boogies, not in humans, not in dogs!).  He then lies down and exposes his underbelly, which you know, if you’re a dog lover, is a very vulnerable position for a dog to adopt.  It exposes the softest, easiest target for a predator to kill a dog. When a dog lies on his back, he’s submitting to you, believing you won’t harm him. If he does this around another dog, then he knows that he’s not the top dog. Digger only does this around dogs with whom he is great friends and never around strange dogs he first meets.  Smart dog, wouldn't you say?  He’s cautious around strangers but vulnerable around friends.

So, I give him a good rubdown and he starts to ‘talk’ to me.  Border terriers ‘sing’ (google it on youtube and you’ll find loads of examples). He’s a happy dog; happy to be around me, to have his belly rubbed, just to hang out until it’s time to do something else.  They say that dog owners and their dogs start to look like each other.  Well, I hope I never start to look like Digger but you know what I would like??? Sometimes I would like to be like Digger. He waits patiently, he’s eager to start the day, with its new possibilities.  He knows what I’m like, yet still wants to be around me even before I've had my first cup of coffee.  Nothing is boring to him. The same walk down the Nickey Line is like Disney Land to him. New smells, new sights, new dogs to meet and greet, new possibilities.

Some of you might question my assignment of human emotions/qualities/characteristics to my dog.  I don’t care.  I love my dog, not because I need something else to take care of and not because I want to control, dominate, take charge or command him.  I love my dog because he’s loveable and cute and fun and cute! Not moody, not weird or jealous or cruel or hateful or back-biting or devious or betraying or self-important (shall I go on???).  AND he starts every day with an eagerness, an expectation and an enthusiasm for what the day will bring and how he’s going to spend that day with me, his Alpha dog.  I long to wake up each day with this attitude towards My Alpha Dog.

Indeed, this is the day the Lord has made. I want to rejoice and be glad in it.

  

Oh, and by the way, Digger looks forward to meeting a new friend named Mick Jagger, who is from New York. I think he’s much cuter than the human, though!  Here’s his photo. You be the judge.