Doggie Zen Lessons #1

Due to life getting a bit crazy, I have been negligent on posting here.  I have had some great outreach events and other things happen recently, which I need to get some pictures up for and some interesting future opportunities.  There is also both the US presidential election and the Brexit vote both of which are very worrying for my future job security.  However, today I am going the lessons my fluffball teaches me in Doggie Zen.

Persephone is good at teaching Doggie Zen.  She loves the world.  She lives in the now.  She cares about people and wants to spend time with them.  She doesn't get upset with people when they leave (she does get sad) but just gets happy when they come home home.  She can teach many of the lessons that most dogs can.  Over the weekend things got a bit crazy and lessons in Doggie Zen taught me that while planning is good, flexibility is better.

On Friday night I took Persephone out for a late night walk.  We went to our favorite spot with her flashing collar on and had about an hour of sniffing, playing, and running.  When I got to the gate and she sat for me to put on her leash - I reach into my pocket and NO LEASH!  It must have fallen out on the walk, but in the dark there was no way I was going to find it.  So I decided to try to hold her harness on the way home.  She doesn't like leashes and pulls really badly so I was worried especially because my elbow was hurting since I slammed it into the wall the day before.  But she was amazing.  She walked right next to me without pulling and when I got to the quiet part of the street and released her to get out my keys she walked leash length away, right up to the front door and sat down until I opened it for her.  Her good behavior and flexibility got me ready for my own day on Saturday.  I went to rehearsal about 40 minutes away by train prepared to sing alto.  Turns out I needed to sight read soprano and I did a relatively crappy job, but I just kept going.  Then I feel asleep on the train on the way home and missed my stop going another 30 minutes on the train and having to turn around and come back on a train where I had to sit on the floor.  I could have been grumping, but I tried to use my Doggie Zen lesson from the night before.  I chatted with some students that had gone to Newcastle Open Days about university.  I met a vicar who works at vicar school (as she called it) who was going to an ordination for one of her students.  I got to chase some geese out of the road.  And I made it home in time for dinner.

So Doggie Zen Lesson #1:  Be flexible with good behavior.