Dogs and their People

Recently I had an interesting exchange with a homeless man who inhabits certain strategic spots in our neighborhood. He gratefully received a bit of my charity, and then I asked if he was also feeding his large canine companion with the offerings collected here. Obviously I was not the first to ask that question. “Yes, ... he is … family,” was the quietspoken heartfelt answer. Very obviously these two are inseparable probably until death do them part. The farmyard of my growing up in Saskatchewan always had a dog or two, but I have never 'owned' one. The rather personal answer from this young man gets my thinker going! I may not own a dog but I know I have been participant in many of these furry codependent friendships especially in last year or so, enough to get me going with a few thoughts.

Many incidents come to mind. Here are a few samples. About a month ago a small group from our church planned a little fellowship at an outdoor firepit on our ample property. Located among the acreages just beyond city limits, most of this congregation’s summertime programs of bygone years are now a faint memory. This is a consequence of last several decades of decisions driven by real estate prices rather than outreach and neighborhood considerations. Anyway, this fine evening one of our couples saw fit to bring their dog. What a happy coincidence; this big shaggy appeared clearly informing all this was the happiest day of her life. With tongue lolling and tail wagging Sophie made the rounds greeting everyone old, young or in between. Her enjoyment of us all began to affect the whole gathering to the extent that in short order there was laughter and happiness everywhere. Food got shared and tasted even better. Eventually she was under a blanket with a bunch of squealing kids – just enjoying the cozies! There was nothing she did not enjoy doing. Also fascinating was the relationship with her papa, the alpha of her life. When it was time to go home it was but one opening of the truck door and a nice little signal to jump in, and in she jumped (I think I am of the age where I am impressed by obedience).😏 There she sat in her spot in the truck, tongue still hanging out in happiness. A good time had by all!

Of the many options for urban travel, walking is very popular, especially with fit bits and step counters helping us all to know we are doing the good thing. Most walks are part canine, part human. I walk solo, usually including some social interaction, and the dogs know all about it. I try for a slight eye contact with the human, and then greet the dog, “Hi pooch”, this then followed by smile, greeting, or even conversation with said dog walker! And I don't impose on the grumpy walkers. When they come along totally absorbed in their own world, I check with the canine. If they look at me I'll "Hi pooch" em. If not we keep right on trucking.😉

 

My daughters regularly utilize public transit. Since pets are now allowed on board, this provides considerable entertainment for them, usually showing up in WhatsApp pics and hilarious comments appearing as ‘family time’ for all of us, this then reiterated by Mango stories – our son and family’s dog in Ontario. Their dog worships each member in their household, seemingly all activities in this busy home participated in with full golden doodle approval, all this alongside the feline critique from Marigold the 'boss' who already lived there before the dog. Similarly from our son in Winnipeg, I am fascinated by family love communicated so easily via pets.

Then there is my brother and his wife. They live in Colorado, lifelong proponents of radical simple living from their bare bones little house in a low income Colorado Springs community along with interfaith and ecumenical neighbors, all living next door to the largest military base in the U.S. Always there are community meetings and vigils in support of local causes and of course many public actions like making and holding anti-war and pro-peace banners. Fascinating lifestyle also including, as witnessed by any and all who visit their homey place, a tiny little canine who commands center stage. No entry or departure goes by without some reference or greetings to Sparky the ever believing onsite mental health therapist.

Enough illustrations for now. Apparently this is a trend, especially in wake of the coronavirus pandemic. Mental health requires not only relationships but refreshment and new discoveries in those relationships, new ways of being. Hence the current increased demand for dogs. The irony is that this demand is coterminous with increasing homelessness, food and housing shortage. Many of these dogs are not cheap, thousands of dollars per animal spent on purchase and diet and health care. Veterinarians also in high demand, many of them in sync with privatized health care mentality at least in the U.S.A. and in this western Canadian province. Even with these financial inequities the dog option is still kind of a societal equalizer - needed by the privileged as well as the destitute. This reminds me of a book I once read (cannot remember the title) about canine hierarchy. In this novel the alpha dog in the neighborhood was the companion of the homeless guy who scrounged through garbage cans. Among the uppity pooches and poodles the canine who scrounged and found food with his human – was superior!  A few months ago I read an essay, a dissertation proposal by a friend working on his PhD.[i] It is about a religious movement in eastern South Sudan headed by a Prophet who lived among the villagers there. His teachings and miracles were so well known and he was so in demand that, according to this essay, he anointed some dogs to visit the sick, many people healed thanks to their licks. My western utilitarian mindset is inclined to resist this as anecdotal, perhaps pagan folklore. I am however assured these incidents are bona fide. Not totally convinced especially as I read my Bible (same Bible as my African friends) dogs are referred to kind of derisively, eg Psalm 68:23 "that your feet may wade in the blood of your foes, while the tongues of your dogs have their share.” and also in the New Testament Mark 7:27 “First let the children eat all they want,” he told her, “for it is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.” It is worth noting that Jesus in his story about the rich man and Lazarus makes positive reference to dogs, Luke 16:21 "and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores." I would say that dogs are part and parcel of community, seemingly always there, sometimes serving as wastebaskets and sometimes as agents of healing, simply doing what dogs do.

Present among all cultures and traditions, dogs recognize their place alongside us humans in whatever state we may be in. Even as we live and move among our fellows looking for a way out of a pandemic or political outrages like our Premier trying to take Alberta out of Canada Pension Plan or latest furor in Ottawa because yesterday the liberals honored an elderly Nazi WW2 soldier, creating mixed signals all over the world and probably a smile on the face of Russia's Vladimir Putin, I am pleased to greet pooches as I go about my daily routines.

Dogs have been around for ages, if not in domesticated version then in the wild, and our Indigenous friends have stories about them as well. We are beneficiaries of the canine therapists that have been provided for us. The friendly demeanor (from most of them) is an assurance and an invite to participate with them in all that’s going around these days. 

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[i] William Riek Tut, “The Conflict between the Eastern Jikany Nuer Christians in South Sudan and the Prophet Tukuach Bangoang” (Unpublished dissertation proposal, 2023).