For The Love Of…Lessons Learned From Dogs by Artemis Crow

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by Artemis Crow

I’ve mentioned in the past that we have been involved in Doberman rescue since 2005. Though our role is not as great these days, we still have a senior diabetic Doberman who’s mostly blind as a permanent foster, and I’m on the board of a Doberman rescue charity.

We’ve had healthy, young Dobies who just needed a place to land until a new home could be found. We’ve had the pleasure of happy puppies and gentle, sweet seniors, and we’ve had several hospice dogs stay with us until the end of their lives. Rescue is breathtakingly beautiful, filled with moments of grace, and heartbreaking – seeing the damage cruelty and neglect can do to a living creature steals the breath and fills the eyes.

But for the crazy emotional roller coaster that can be rescue, there are lessons I’ve learned from the dozens of dogs who have come through our lives. These are lessons for life, and even for my writing, and I want to share them with you today.

Be Bold

Allow yourself to take that leap into the unknown. Stretch yourself, even if it makes you uncomfortable, and discover the heights and depths of who you are. You never know unless you try has been a lesson I’ve seen every single foster dog embrace.

Have The Courage And Perseverance To Overcome Obstacles

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The greatest courage I’ve witnessed was found in those dogs either born with special needs or through injury or disease became special needs dogs. The blind, the paralyzed, the amputees, all of them pushed through their challenges. Even those fosters who came to us starved, or wounded physically, emotionally, and/or psychologically, proved, with time, to be resilient, their ability to live in the moment changing their lives for the better.

Embrace The World In Its Simplest Forms

Because dogs live in the moment, those moments are filled to the brim with everything around them. They live in a world of scents and sounds, sight and taste, touch and the needs of their bodies. People could benefit from slowing down to experience each of those sensory details instead of processing them all as a whole as we are wont to do. We are busy, I get it, yet I fear we are missing out on the simplest inputs that could give us joy. As a writer, I have to remember that my characters are not two-dimensional. By incorporating the senses, I can make them three-dimensional and immerse readers into my world more fully.

Found Family Matters

Our family consisted of human, canine and feline. Three species that chose to live and love together. Each time we brought in a new foster, we worked to introduce them to the pack. Slowly, yes, but with only a few exceptions, the new dogs became a member of the expanded family. In writing, we develop our own families: universally, those who love reading, specifically, those who love your genre, particularly, those who love your books. Celebrate your found family! They are you pack!

Embrace Boundless Joy

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This is similar to living in the moment, but on steroids. With the cooler weather, I see this example often: the chill in the air, the breeze blowing, the sun shining on their coats sends my three pack into paroxysms of pleasure. Prancing and running, zipping and zoomies, throwing of the head and snorts, these are just some of the silliness that dogs display when filled with joy. They don’t care if they look silly. In fact, I think they grow sillier when their antics are rewarded with our laughter. IRL, this is a lesson we should embrace, especially these days. As a writer, I find boundless joy when a reader tells me they loved my book, and it makes me try that much harder to bring them joy in the next book.

Never Be Afraid To Be Unique

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Another benefit of living in the moment is a lack of ego. That lack of ego results in amputees who are ready to run in days after losing a limb; they don’t seem to care that they now have three legs, they just want to learn how to balance on their remaining legs. They are who they are; it’s as simple as that. This ability is awe-inspiring and has reminded me more than once that being different or unique isn’t a liability, but our greatest asset. You are unique in all the world, but it’s easier to succumb to the more comfortable state of conformity. As writers, we talk about the importance of voice and how it distinguishes us from other writers. Is it not just as important to embrace that which makes us unique in our lives?

This is my second post about dogs…guess it’s obvious I’m a fan. They have many lessons to teach us; I hope the few I listed above give you food for thought. Do you have any questions about dogs or dog rescue? Ask away!

May your words flow freely,

Artemis

Artemis Crow

www.artemiscrow.com

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