Inside of a dog

I envy my dogs. They live every moment for the moment. They aren't concerned for their reason to be, any meaning or purpose, from whence they came or where they will finally end up. They are happy simply "to be".

My home is filled with three dogs: two Golden Retrievers and a Beagle. Each fulfills its genetic destiny and brief "moment" in their current form. They are all different yet they are all alike. While I know that it's "wrong" to anthropomorphize pets, I can't help but notice the joy they experience in the simplest of things. I am content to think that they enjoy my company... and I certainly enjoy theirs. My two Golden Retrievers will chase the rubber bones I toss until they are exhausted. I really don't know if they do it because they actually enjoy chasing rubber bones... or they enjoy pleasing me by chasing them. In the end, it really doesn't matter because the experience creates enough happiness for all of us.

I just finished reading Inside of a Dog by Alexandria Horowitz. If you're a dog lover, or an animal lovever, it's a pretty good read. It does explode quite a few "myths" (or, runs counter to our tendency to anthropomorphize our pets). While I enjoyed reading it, I chose to ignore the parts that might cause me discomfort. In the end, the book represents one person's (educated) opinion. I have come to distrust the opinions of others and take my own council. In the case of my dogs, I will not analyze the "why" and simply enjoy them.

This is my second pair of Golden Retrievers. I believe that anyone who really loves dogs should have two. The best company for a dog is another dog. They are both GRREAT rescues My wife and I have been GRREAT volunteers for quite a few years. We fostered a few dogs that needed a "home" until they found their "forever" home. One of our previous pair, Zoe, was a foster that we decided to keep. These two dogs came as a pair. After our last two dogs passed away (within weeks of each other), I got an emergency call from GRREAT asking if we would rescue a pair that needed a home. The alternative would be to split them up. We engaged in a late night ride around the beltway to pick up these two dogs at a Maryland parking lot. We had no idea what we were getting or what these dogs would be like, we just new they needed a home... and to be together.

They turned out to be great dogs from a loving home. They immediately "fit in" (since our home was pretty much built around two Golden Retrievers) and bonded quickly. As I type this, they are both sitting at my feet... waiting for me to get the rubber bones and play fetch. Of course, we adopted them... just as the folks at GRREAT expected we would do.

They will probably go before I do. I don't know when or how they will go, but then I don't know when or how I will go. I'm in my 60's and am alive thanks to a pacemaker and modern medicine so I may go first. I try to live my life as they do. I try to be happy every moment of every day. I try to make others happy whenever I can. My greatest pleasure is knowing people very different from myself who are willing to talk about what they believe... and why. I have learned to sort out quickly those who are capable of an intelligent conversation and those simply looking for an opportunity to tell you what you should believe. The latter goes into the "avoid" bin because they don't take disagreement lightly.

My dogs like to be told what to do. I do not like to be told what to do... or what to think or say. I do not tolerate those who believe that they have some divine insight, superior intellect or genetic predisposition giving them the power to tell others what to think, do or say. The world is full of people who believe they know how to organize "the rest of us". It also has a few people who don't want to be told how they fit into the organization.

A bunch of old white guys came up with probably the best idea for organizing a Country when they wrote the Constitution. They knew it wasn't perfect and that we would learn from experience so they allowed for a process to change the Constitution when necessary. I consider this document good enough for me. The original vision is rather simple. Government's powers are enumerated in the Constitution and generally consist of National Defense, a State Department, a Department of Justice to arbitrate disputes, and a minimal process for raising revenue to pay for the above. Anything not covered in the Constitution is left to the States (thanks to the 10th Amendment).

My mantra is "Simplify". Less Government translates into more freedom. Disputes between states should go to the Department of Justice for resolution. I would frankly shut down most of Washington preferring to let states collaborate on the big issues. The "one size fits all" approach to social policy has been a continual and abysmal failure since it fails to recognize the rights, culture, or preferences of the diversity represented across this great Country. One size does not fit all. I would count on a free press to expose wrong doing and bad policy so voters could exercise their power to select the representation they deserve.

My dogs don't care about any of this. If we lived in an environment with few rules, neither would I. The smaller Government's footprint, the fewer the rules. Fortunately, I am not alone.

While I am not currently a member of the Tea Party (I was for a while. For full disclosure, I Was also a member of the Coffee Party for an even briefer period), I like most of what they do. They want to shut down most of Washington, stop the wars, prevent future wars, and reduce taxes. Ron and Rand Paul are Tea Party leaders. To my surprise, they have captured the imagination of America's youth. It would appear America's young people don't like war and being told what to do either. Go figure? I had always imagined a life "nibbling at the edges" of Government to reduce its size,scope, and cost. It now appears that America has a chance at a Libertarian President who will attack "big Government" at its heart.

That would make my dogs and I very happy. They are both looking at me... waiting for those rubber bones. I think we'll go outside and play.