Those of you who know me, know that I’m a huge animal lover! Our 2 dogs, Scrappy and Milo, are a big part of my life. I spend a lot of time with them, and have learned quite a bit from them. We can all learn from our pets when we take the time to pay attention to their actions and habits. Here are the top 3 things I am reminded of daily, from these critical members of our Huak Pack.
3 Things I’ve Learned From my 2 Dogs
1. It’s never too late to learn a new skill.
Our 12 year old Boston Terrier Scrappy, went blind and lost both of his eyes almost one year ago. The #1 thing he’s taught me since, is that you can teach an ‘old’ dog, new tricks. We’re never to old to learn how to improve or strengthen a pre-existing skill. He went blind when he was in in late 50s in dog years, yet within a few weeks he learned how to climb stairs, find his ball, water and food (of course!) and get around our home at a pretty quick pace. Shortly thereafter, he learned his way around our neighborhood, climbing up and down curbs with the help of his whiskers. Even in our later years, if we’re open to learning new things, we’re able to do so. Getting older shouldn’t be an excuse for any of us to stop learning and embrace change.
2. Quick Stretches Feel Good.
Ever notice that dogs and cats only stretches for a few seconds? And that they stretch every single time they wake up? Holding a stretch for a time as short as 5-20 seconds can offer us all huge benefits. It’s great for our bodies if we can stretch and move around consistently throughout the day. Our pets stretch their whole bodies at once in a couple of effective stretches. This Down Dog stretch (so appropriately named), is one of the most common animal stretches and one that I love too:
3. Love and appreciate your pack.
Every single time we open our front door, our dogs come running to us like we’re the most important thing in their world. They almost always want to be in the same room with us, and they genuinely miss us when we’re gone. It feels good to be this loved, and needed. Follow your dog’s lead and show love and appreciation to those who mean the most to you, whenever you can. Spend quality time with the most important people to you, your pack. Life is too short not to.
To Sum it up…There is So Much We Can Learn From Our Pets
Our pack members can teach us some invaluable lessons if we pay attention to them. A key thing I’ve learned from our senior dog Scrappy, is that it’s never too late to learn a new skill or to change a habit. Milo, our younger dog, reminds us daily that short, yet frequent bouts of stretching and movement are important to our health. And every time we open our front door, both of our dogs remind us about the importance of showing love and appreciation towards those who mean the most to us – our pack.
Animals are often a lot smarter than we give them credit for, we should all take the time to learn from our pets.