Of Dogs and Babies

 


This is a picture of our 15-month-old grandson Sam attempting to saddle his dog Patches in hopes of catching a ride up to his crib.

  • Isn’t it delightful?
  • Can’t you just feel the connection?
  • The peaceful accord between a baby and a dog.

When Sam’s mom Kelly sent the picture we shook our heads in wonderment.  How could two different species reach such contented coexistence?

Sam approaches Patches with curiosity and delight.  He pets her and climbs on her.  He explores the tags on her collar.  He shares his food with her.  He imitates her, curling up on the couch beside her in perfect symmetry.  He has even tried to use her as a stepladder to attain an out-of-reach object.

Patches, in turn, seems to regard Sam with curiosity and delight – and tremendous patience.  She sniffs him and follows him.  She and her dog-brother, Ovie, sit on either side of Sam’s high chair at dinner, happily accepting bits of food as they are doled out.  (They like everything except the blueberries.)  She lies quietly as Sam climbs on her, and somersaults over her.  And she usually, sometimes with great effort, refrains from playing with Sam’s toys, lest they be chewed to smithereens in a nano-second.

Contrast this with some of the human stories with which we’re confronted.  Aren’t we shocked, dismayed and in despair over the utterly inhumane acts human beings are capable of, acts often committed in the name of some holy god?  Indeed, now we hear talk of nuclear war and destroying whole nations.  Have we forgotten all of the tragic lessons of the last century?  Have we lost our ability to survive these times?  It seems as if the entire civilizing process has been thrown into reverse.

Yet, has it?

Perhaps we ought to look to young Sam and his dog Patches for a way forward.

  • Maybe fostering aggressive behavior is not the best idea.
  • Maybe we can learn to approach each other with curiosity and delight.
  • Maybe we can cultivate patience in ourselves.
  • Maybe we can refrain from taking more than we need – and leave someone else’s toys alone.
  • And maybe we can share our food (and more?) with each other.

Just a thought…

Pat and Marsha

Copyright © 2017 Patrick J. Moriarty and Marsha Hahn. All Rights Reserved.

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