My Dog, My Buddha. Kimberly Artley
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fosters growth.
89.
Size doesn’t matter.
90.
The thrill of the chase.
91.
You pull, I pull.
92.
Carpe your diem!
93.
See yourself the way I see you.
94.
Length of time is not the same as quality of time.
95.
Obedience training won’t solve behavioral issues.
96.
The skinny on tools.
97.
Be the change you wish to see in me.
98.
Breath is our barometer.
99.
What we allow will always continue.
100.
Love. Unconditionally.
About the Author
Dogs teach us that the world will respond to us in a far better way if we respond to it from a place of rootedness.
One of the biggest challenges of the human experience is learning how to deal with our emotions. We develop coping mechanisms. Ways of numbing out. Escapes. Sometimes developing neurotic behaviors like excessive and obsessive: TV watching, video game playing, internet and social media usage, drinking, smoking, drug use, cleaning, eating, exercise, shopping, sex, and more.
Dogs mirror our internal state. They know us and recognize us on a level most of us don’t even recognize and know ourselves.
We’re their guiders, teachers, dot-connectors, and way-showers. They look to us for how to feel about what’s around them. The scenarios they find themselves in. We’re the ones providing their cues, guidance, and directives, so it’s of utmost importance we’re mindful of where this direction is coming from.
Dogs, on a very instinctual level, will not trust, respect or follow negative, insecure, impatient, frustrated, soft, passive, meek, nervous, anxious, stressed, angry, fearful energy. If they sense their human doesn’t have it together, they’ll step up to lead, protect, and fill the vacant role as leader. Every ship needs a captain.
It’s important we never address our dog from such an un-grounded, emotional or negative space. We’ll have a far more responsive audience when we approach and deliver from a calm, confident, grounded, and steadfast position. Learning to effectively deal with, cope, and handle our emotions will not only foster and create that ever-so important “trust and respect factor” with our dogs, but also with our loved ones, and anyone else with whom we interact and share space.
We’re human. We’re going to get knocked off-center, hit walls, experience hiccups, and have those face-plants. It’s not what happens that matters, it’s how we choose to deal with it. The gold lies in how we get back up, dust ourselves off, and get back in the game. What we allow to influence and affect us… and what we don’t.
Our emotions are a very strong, influential, and potent form of energy. What we generate internally gets expressed and released externally; rippling out into the world, impressing upon all. What we put out into the world, comes right back to us; shaping our very reality as we know it. We teach others how to treat us.
We teach others how to treat us.
We teach others how to treat us. This goes for both human and canine, through what we permit and do not permit. What we stand for, and what we negotiate. What we allow will always continue.
How we allow others to treat us is directly related to our level of self-worth and self concept. How “good enough” we feel we are. Our level of confidence. Self-acceptance. Self-love and appreciation. Self-respect.
In learning how to establish rules, boundaries, and parameters with our dogs, we learn how to do this in our personal lives, as well; for this sets the tone for any relationship (regardless of species) and any household. Without this, lines will always be skewed, expectations gone amiss, disappointment and resentment abound, and buttons and envelopes constantly tested and pushed.
Creating and sticking to these healthy boundaries isn’t “mean”, “bad” or “cruel”, it’s necessary; and is enforced out of respect for ourselves, our dog(s), and others.
What we don’t address, we give permission to continue to occur. What we don’t disagree with automatically receives our consent. Being clear with what makes us feel comfortable and uncomfortable, and what is appropriate and inappropriate, will help everyone to get on the same page. Respect begets respect. When we respect ourselves, we won’t allow anything less from others.
Self-awareness is the gateway to change.
Humans are emotional creatures.
We develop beliefs and assumptions about ourselves and the world around us at a very early age. This becomes the very lens we start to filter our existence through, and what drives our behaviors, reactions, and responses.
Dog helps us to become more self-aware, challenging us in ways very few can; mirroring and reflecting back to us the very energy we bring into each space. They encourage us to figure out what we’ve lost, so we can dial back in, reconnect to and recover our truest nature.
The moment we become aware of how our energy affects those around us, a beautiful shift happens. We begin taking responsibility and becoming more accountable for what we’re manufacturing internally and projecting externally. Our thoughts, feelings, emotions, and the words we speak all carry clues and hints as to what our dictating beliefs and operating belief systems are.
What we feel on the inside carries a vibration and current that emanates from us into the world around us. Nervousness. Anxiety. Fear. Frustration. Stress. Impatience. Anger. Insecurity. Tension. In the animal world, this energy is unbalanced and unstable. It’s not to be trusted, nor will it be respected or followed. Conversely, Calm. Patience. Confidence. Groundedness (read: unemotional). These types of energy carry a much different, more stable vibe animals naturally gravitate towards.
When we make the effort to be less REactive and more PROactive, less emotional and more grounded, less results-driven and more process-driven, we’re able to tap into that peaceful, calm space that exists within each of us. This is our truest nature.
Self-awareness doesn’t happen overnight, nor does the establishment of trust and respect. As with everything worthwhile, it’s both a daily (even momentary) practice.
Dog lovingly says: take each day as it