Gratitude to animals

How We Cultivate Self-Awareness Through Our Pets

Our closest companions are the ones who mirror our subconscious patterns back to us

This morning, I was out walking my dog, Ginger, when we met her favorite new companion since she came to live with me.

He is a rescue dog from Romania called Nala and is still quite young, now approaching the age of 2.

Ginger, as you may or may not know, is a mature dog of 10.

We first met last summer. Ginger was the first dog that he was allowed to play with freely since his owner was struggling to train him. He also had a tendency to become aggressive with other male dogs but, since Ginger is female, there wasn’t that issue to be concerned over.

Since then, they have played together several times and seem to have a very unique understanding with each other about how much is too much.

Whenever we are walking and she smells him, even if he is still out of sight, she starts to get very excited, and, as she gets closer, she lets out these deafeningly high-pitched yelps in her desperation to play with him. He, too, is always overjoyed to see her, throws himself at her, and covers her in licks.

When they met this morning, fortunately, it was in the green area of town where the dogs can run off the lead safely and they played to their hearts’ content.

Struggling with his behavior

As ever, I began chatting with Nala’s owner about how their year has begun, their usual walks, and more. Typically, I only know Nala’s name but have failed to ask his owner’s name.

Why do we do that?

Anyway, I have always noticed that his owner is very much on her guard when he is not on the lead and very fearful that he won’t come when called.

The two dogs ran a distance from us, towards the gate that led onto the road. Another man was just opening it to leave with his dog and Nala was heading in that direction.

His owner interrupted me as I was saying something, to whistle and call him back, and then immediately berated herself for being so on her guard. She then told me that she had started seeing a dog psychologist and behavioral therapist, to seek help with training him and getting him to have better social behavior around other dogs since his good behavior with Ginger is unique.

She told me that what she discovered was less about Nala’s possible past traumas and more about her own.

The behavioral therapist had encouraged her to examine her own patterns of anxiety and note down how Nala behaved every time she felt her anxiety rise.

This was quite easy for her to notice, for she said that her hands always grew hot each time she became anxious, and she realized that Nala reacted in some way or another every time that happened. It might be something as simple as her becoming aware of another dog approaching in the distance, causing a rise in her anxiety, and Nala stopping still and refusing to walk any further.

As a result, she had been compelled to find ways to manage her own tendency to get nervous — anything from a conscious movement with her hands, such as swapping the lead from one hand to the other, to simply stopping and taking a deep breath whenever she felt her fear of him going too far when off the lead, and not returning to her, rise.

I related completely

While I am not, typically, an anxious person, an incident last week had highlighted how Ginger will pick up on any fear or anxiety that I do experience.

My daughter had returned from school after a morning exam, which I had completely forgotten she would be doing. Not only did I forget but she almost never remembers to take her own key with her, and so she always knocks when she comes home. So, when I heard the sound of a key in the front door, my heart stood still.

For a moment, I had no idea who could be unlocking and pushing open the front door, and a million possibilities started racing through my mind.

I called out; “Hello?”

Her little voice called back, and I breathed a sigh of relief while laughing at my own silliness.

I called out her name and she came into view but not before Ginger had come to my side and, most unusually for her, began talking away to my daughter as if to say;

“How lovely to see you but you frightened us to death for a moment there.”

My daughter and I laughed at her manner and her chattiness. It was adorable.

But, the fact was that she never greeted anyone like this normally and we knew there was only one reason it could be — that she had picked up on my fear and responded to it.

Animals force us to learn about ourselves in ways we may never otherwise explore

Animals, first and foremost, force us to be selfless. Both physically and emotionally.

We have to give up time, money, and space in our lives to accommodate them.

We also need to have patience and understanding for their needs. It’s not just as simple as regular feeding, walking, and toileting. It’s showing them that they are loved; a welcome member of the family. It’s considering them with each decision, each outing or holiday.

Animals are not just for when it’s convenient to consider them, they become a part of your everyday existence.

And that is what challenges us to learn, explore, and go deep within our own emotional patterns.

We learn where we have resistance, and we learn to face it. We learn where our weaknesses are. And, for the sake of love for these creatures, we work on them.

We change our lives and discover what we were missing out on before having these animals in them.

With Ginger, I changed my entire work schedule and activity.

My cats created my morning routines, making me choose to get up earlier to spend time feeding them, stroking them, and being there solely for them for that 30 minutes each morning.

In return, they bring me great joy, love, and warmth.

Having a dog means that I am out walking every day. There is no time for procrastination about the cold or the rain. I just go.

And, as a result, I am fitter and have increased stamina.

And the winter days seem to pass even faster than before.

I just hope the spring and summer days don’t.

I am grateful for these creatures in my life

I can’t imagine what life would be like without my pets.

My kids have mostly grown up with cats around since we have now had them for over eleven years. Living with cats has given them the opportunity to care for them, give them love and affection, and receive plenty of it in return.

And, more than anything, I am grateful for them making me a better, stronger, healthier, and more loving person.

I know I am not the only one who has found so much inner growth and learning from being a pet owner.

Liberty Forrest, Author shared the beautiful story of her snake, Bob, in a series. This is the first part of six:

I warn you, though; get the tissues ready for the final part. I was bawling through it.

Thank you to Trista Signe Ainsworth for publishing this story in Thank You Notes and to Sharing Randomly Lorena for the Gratitude to Animals theme.

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