Field Play

When I lived in a hip Chicago neighborhood one of my delights in this quintessentially urban lifestyle was observing the squirrels who made their living in the trees grown up between the brownstone walkups. I would delight in their scamperings whenever I went outside. I’d sometimes sit in the front window and watch them deftly negotiate the many challenges of being a wild animal in the city with what, to my eyes, looked like a lot of good sense and great cheer.

I would place unsalted peanuts out where I could watch the little blighters come and snatch them away. One neighbor had taken his peanut doling to a higher level and could pass them right into their grabby paws. I admired that greatly.

The author's husband observing his grandfather and squirrel pal.

My husband’s grandfather also had a way with these ebullient critters and in the backyard of a small town Ohio house hand fed the brave to the great delight of all. He wouldn’t let them smoke though that was a treat shared only with his pug dog but that’s another story.

Activity

Spend some time with animals at liberty (free, unimpeded with leashes, shanks or other attachments to your person) whether in your suburban backyard, your inner city dog park or your country pasture.

Hang out with whomever shows up and however they do so. Soak up what they offer. If you like take a gander at the video below shot from the viewer’s point of view and join the animals of DogTrot Hill on a warm late winter day.

Discussion

• Do animals that are not physically attached to you (leashes, etc) behave any differently when they are free to move about?
• How does it feel when they choose to approach you?
• In the video did you notice any instance of what might be called play behavior? Who did it, what did they do and what do you think of that?
• What do you think might have changed in these scenes if wild rabbits had hopped through?

Creative Consideration

1. Using colorful ribbons, string, and yarn braid together a four to six foot length.
2. With sturdy paper or cardbaord and drawing or painting supplies create a batch of images, words, quotes or photos that represent your own dreams, hopes and wishes.
3. With a hole punch and more string or wire attach these to the end of your dream leash.
4. Hang prominently to remind you what you wish to be attached to.
5. Be careful what you wish for.

Animal Intelligence – Part 1

Up until fairly recently learned people believed that humans alone enjoyed a ‘higher’ existence than any other animal or creature in our unique ability to be so very clever. Conventional wisdom held that only humans:

• had language
• use tools
• meaningfully play
• demonstrate reasoning
• and the biggie – can consciously process theoretical information

Lately, animal ethologists (those who study animal behavior) have caught up with the far more delightful realities of various animals substantiating all of these formerly exclusive to homo sapien characteristics.

An excellent example is Alex, the African Grey parrot under the tutelage of Dr. Irene Pepperburg who displayed a working knowledge of the concept of zero – an abstract core component of theoretical mathematics. To have done this Alex also employed the language Dr. Pepperburg taught him to communicate his answers to her queries. Why a parrot? Parrots can speak words that sound a lot like human language. Alex actually spoke in English. (He’s since died but the work carries on with other parrot students.)

So Dr. Pepperburg may ask, “How many keys?” and Alex responds clearly “Two.”. Then she might ask “What different?” and Alex says “Color.” as the two keys are each a different color. This in one usually cooperative being (Alex says “Wanna go back.” when he’s had enough of the training and testing) elements of naive intelligence heretofore assigned exclusively to humans alone were practiced by this little being with huge impact throughout the community of animal science. See Dr. Pepperburg’s interesting book about her adventures with Alex and the at first coldly unsympathetic world of animal behaviorists in her book Alex and Me.

With research like this showing the abilities of animals to employ intellect in ways similar to people old prejudices are forever invalidated. Mind you, observant pet appreciators could have told you this too.

Discussion

1. Have you observed intelligence in animals? What did you see? How was what you saw different from purely ‘instinctual’ behavior?
2. What are some ideas for experiments you could design to test for intelligence in behavior animals? The sky is the limit. No budget constraints.

Creative Consideration

Design a fantastical devise for measuring intelligence in the animal of your choice:

1. Decide on your animal
2. Figure out what you want to test and how.
   Can an elephant count? How can you tell? How will you measure that?
   Do seahorses sing their own compositions? How does one know? How will you find out?
   Do butterflies engage in politics? etc.
3. Sketch out your device with all it’s controls, bells, knobs and whistles.
4. Write a description about how it works.
5. Make a model or full sized version of it using whatever media is most appropriate or on hand to do so.

Extra Credit

Use it on yourself.

Use it on the animal you’re testing!

Post a Youtube video of your results!

Doggedly Pursue Purpose

Hachiko as a lost puppy

Hachiko was a dog in 1930′s Japan who was found by a kindly music professor who hadn’t been looking for a canine companion, least of all a puppy. Nevertheless the two forged an enduring friendship. Each day the man would walk to the train accompanied by Hachi (as he soon came to be called) and each evening the loyal Akita would be waiting for him as he exited from the station. This went on for about a year until the evening came when the professor did not return on the train.

How do you explain to a dog that his person has suffered an aneurysm of the brain and collapsed in his class and eventually passed on in the hospital never to return again? The professor’s family brought the dog home from the station but he always returned to wait for his friend. Finally they gave up. For the next nine years until he died Hachi waited for the professor at exactly the right time of day without fail. He lived on the streets, in the back end of the rail yard and generally got along as best a dog could on his own. He survived on the kindness of those who were sensitive to his plight.

He inspired all who learned of his story. Newspapers wrote about him. People came to speak of that train station as his and it became an auspicious place to meet. In fact when he died a statue was created and placed at the station to commemorate this dog and his unfailing loyalty. It is there still and people still meet there for luck.

You can see a nice version of this story as a movie. It’s called Hachi: A Dog’s Tale. Have a beach towel sized hankie ready though. Yes, you’ll cry, but it’s worth it.

Hachi's Lucky Statue

What to make of this loyalty? Was his a life wasted? After all the professor never did return. Or was this a being so dedicated to his purpose, to this love and remembrance of his friend that this was no waste. There was no time lost. Every minute he waited was a minute spent in purpose. On purpose.

That is the inspiration I choose from the loyalty of this dog. To know my purpose and to pursue it regardless of any external factor. Be dogged, actually.

Assignment

Watch the movie or even just google Hachiko. There are some nice photos of Hachiko on some of his Wikipedia entries.

Discussion

Though in recent years much progress has been made throughout the field of  animal behavior or animal ethology where the concept of animals having and expressing emotions is becoming more of an accepted notion there are still those who might take issue with a dog’s ability to express concepts like ‘loyalty’ or ‘love’. Questions:

1. Where do you stand on the issue?
2. Why?
3. Have you experienced either of these two emotions from a dog or other animal?
4. How did the animal make such emotions known to you?

Creative Consideration

Using plasticine clay (brand name Sculpey or Fimo) make a little sculpture to memorialize an animal or a concept near and dear to your heart. Place it somewhere you are sure to see it each day.

Singing Leads to Drawing

I live with three cattle dogs and besides being uniquely delightful individuals there is nothing particularly different about them as dogs. Sometimes they naturally sing. They’ll start by getting worked up about something they see or hear. An easy thing for a group of dogs. They tend to behaviorally ‘feed off’ of each other.

Then off they’ll go on an outstanding vociferous cacophony. Bark. Bark. Barkitty Bark! Then it gets worse. One of the bunch might dial it up to a howl and the others join.

I can usually set them off with my own horrific rendition of Elvis Presley’s “It’s Now of Never” (which is also “O Sole Mio” in case you’ve not noticed). This is where several things come to light:

• We’re loud
• We’re individual
• and not one of us stays quiet because we think we can’t sing.

Mind you, our singing may lack certain qualities to be sure, but no matter how poorly (and rightfully so) it might be judged — that never stops us from doing it.

• Jo: OOOOooOooOOooooooo >bark!< >bark!< >bark!< ooOooOOoooooo
• Ropey: Oof!  Oof!  Oof! Oof!  Oof!  Oof! Oof!  Oof!  Oof!
• Tingo: Yow  -  wow  -  wow  -  wow  -  bark bark bark bark bark bark

From this we can know that you, too, can sing – which means that you, too, can draw!

Your intentions set the course upon which your soul sails

Your intentions set the course upon which your soul sails. Thus those who proclaim: “I can’t draw!” are always right. Always. No matter how wrong you and I think they might be – if they don’t believe they can, then to them they can not. At least in their own minds. To a degree. Go back far enough in a person’s self assessment and you will discover no child ever willing to say such a thing. Children know better. We’re all born knowing better. What happens is we get taught out of some of our own abilities!

It’s only later in the developing life that people take on judgment about what their drawing produces and decide to absorb and integrate that crippling information about their abilities.

What is frustrating is they are wrong. Of course they can draw! They’re mistaken about that. What they can’t do, perhaps, is draw:

• up to their expectations or
• like someone else or
• easily or
• naturally or
• in a way that produces pleasing results for themselves.

So in the end the reality is when someone says “I can’t draw (or sing or dance, etc) what she means is:

• I won’t draw
• I don’t like the way I draw
• My drawings disappoint me
• or some such.

When one removes expectations of the results from drawing and focuses instead on the actions of drawing what happens is those old thought patterns start loosening up! With enough practice one may discover they can draw up to their expectations and end up loving what they produce or they may find they plain old enjoy the action of drawing and then of burning what they drew. All good stuff.

Animal Assisted Activity

Get some dogs to sing with you.

Extra Credit: See if you can get others to howl with you — dogs, humans, howler monkeys — doesn’t matter, it’s all good.

Creative Consideration

Draw on as large of pieces of paper as you can comfortably afford for ten to twenty minutes every day for a week. That’s ten drawings every day for a week. You’re allowed to spend 1 to 2 minutes per drawing – that’s it. No more. These aren’t meant to be labors of love so much as they’re meant to remind your arm how to move with a drawing implement at the end of it. Draw from your imagination, or just from the feel of it. This isn’t about still lifes – this is about moving pencils! Or pens, or brush with paint (one color) on it.

Sing in the shower during this week too. Karaoke or your own fun playlist of songs. Doesn’t matter as long as you like the music.

Subtle Energies – Meditation 101

We all have different levels of awareness and attunement to the world around us. Even throughout an individual’s life our signature set point will fluctuate as various moods, emotions, energies and awarenesses ebb and flow. What we eat, our hormones, our age, health condition and other physical circumstances will all have various degrees of effect on our abilities to process the environment and our perceptions of it.

Because we’re human we are forever questioning our progress through our lives. We note our position in an array of hierarchies we deem to be important — most of which have nothing significant to add to our physical well being. These tendencies get in the way of our natural inborn abilities to just be. We’re often projecting, planning and envisioning times that are not the present.

While we are born with an amazingly fine tuned intuition it seems as we acquire language, culture and other of the human life filters we start becoming less aware of how we are instantly changed and affected by subtle energies around us. Apparently those aspects of Homo sapien life that are logical are easier to share overtake those that are more esoteric as we build our consciousness in relation to the world around us.

Not so with animals. After an earthquake what do people report their pets were doing hours before the shaking started? Acting strangely. They are sensing the shake well before any of our scientific instruments can measure it. What are they responding to? Subtle energies is what I’m suggesting. Unhindered animals start seeking higher ground well before any tsunami waves sweep over the land.

What are they sensing that we humans miss?  You’ve heard of dogs who know to alert their epileptic human partners of an oncoming seizure well before the human or her instruments might know one’s brewing? Equine clinician Pat Parelli says “Horses know what happens before what happens happens.”. He uses it in the context of training them to be lighter on the cues – I’m sharing it here because I think all animals know what happens before what happens happens with a lot more consistency and subtly then we usually give them credit for way beyond any formal training session. Until we start paying better attention that is.

The calm of a cat extends out from the physical kitty

It’s as though we’re all driving on Life’s superhighways but while animals stay focused on their travels we people are forever texting. Our acquired preoccupations seem to get in the way of our abilities to really be present in our world. We do a lot of living in our heads is what I’m saying.

Activity

With a Horse

Spend an entire day in the company of a horse or horses. My riding readers will be happy to note that any sort of proximity is perfect – even (maybe even especially) trail riding! Pay attention to your overall mood as the day spent in this way flows on.

• Does you attention shift to other things? What?
• Do you notice different things than you usually do? What?

With a Dog

Spend an entire day in the company of a dog or dogs who are at liberty to exert themselves without leashes or other specific guidelines. Arrange to take them to a dog park or other such place where they can be free as the centerpiece to this day. While you can put yourself in charge of the travel arrangements and logistics to and fro — do not be the boss during the play. Just be one of the dogs. Take their lead. Be like them.

Note: unleashed dogs sort out their rank order quickly and with minimal fuss when left alone to do so — generally it is the trepidation of their human companions who elevate chance meetings to unpleasant end — stay out of it! Dogs know how to socialize, let them.

Note to the Note: Be aware of people who might be present who do not get the concept of dogs being able to take care of their meetings for it is they who will unwittingly spark mean spirited outbreaks at the ol’ dog park.

• Does you attention shift to other things? What?
• Do you notice different things than you usually do? What?

With a Spider

Spiders; weavers, trapeze artists, horrific life-juice suckers are also practitioners of patience and creativity par excellence. They are consummate waiters with a knack for determining which triangulations in space will afford them optimal prospects. Go forth and find webs. Pay particular attention to their locations. Note their symmetry and regularity of the individual strands that make the whole. Then remember these are wee bugs doing this with their butts!

• Locate the web’s architect.
• Pay your respects.
• Find some more.
• Repeat.

Creative Consideration

Draw a picture of your favorite animal’s energy aura. Use your imagination. Play with color, shape and space around and within this creature. Add some glitter, draw yourself in there and have that energy envelop you in it’s effects.

Discussion

• What is it about animal energy that you think might be different from that of humans?
• Can we learn to re-discover our more intuitive responses to such energies? Why or why not?
• Are these energies measurable? How? Or why not?
• Are there similarities with BEing with animals to meditation? What are they?

That last discussion point is completely loaded. Meditation can be learned easily by practicing being present with animals. You don’t have to go all bendy legged and zen. You can just go out and spend quiet time with quiet animals. I think of horses as natural mediators. I have seen the ones I live with totally zoned out on the ickiest of all the weather days and instead of complaining or seeking shelter they seem to enter a state of existence where everything’s all good even though to me it looks simply horrid. Mind you, it’s not like they aren’t happy to come into the barn and eat some oats at that point – but that seems to be its expression of being present. What the heck – meditation isn’t about suffering, it’s about being! And sometimes one is invited to exist with one’s favorite snacks!

Creative Consideration #2

Go fix yourself a delightful snack and be present while you consume it.

Healing Animals

A somewhat recent development in the assortment of ‘non-traditional’ modalities available at medical treatment facilities has been the inclusion of visitor animals. Usually dogs, though sometimes cats, rabbits and even llamas and miniature horses are brought in. They make the rounds with their handlers stopping by the bedsides of patients or the chairs of visiting family members and for several minutes are simply present for these people.

They might be petted. A conversation about a loved pet at home may be inspired. Whatever the exchange, the presence of these animals always seems to leave everyone in a better state emotionally. The quantifiers assign values to these experiences to help make the case for their efficacy in healing to the insurance industry. Meanwhile, we animal appreciators already know the value of such interactions to the enhancement of well-being and its impact on alleviating suffering.

What is about these situations that is so positive?

• Is it the novelty of seeing a bit of the more natural world in the context of the manufactured elements typical in such places?
• Is it the familiarity and association of good things with animals?
• The raw connection to the outside world?
• Their calm?
• The non-judgment?
• The soft fur?
• The big eyes?
• All of these things?

No one really knows for certain. Not scientifically anyway. Intuitively we do know, though, don’t we. Lfe is better with animals so it stands to reason that healing is easier in their presence.

 

Visitor Dogs Inspire Healing

Activity

1. Go with a Pet Partner team as they visit people at a local medical facility. Note the changes you observe in patients, visitors and staff alike as they experience the animal present.
2. Or take a look at this youtube video of such a visit:
   
3. Sit quietly with a pet (your own or someone else’s, totally doesn’t matter) and pay particular attention to the changes you may be experiencing internally as a result of this pleasant proximity.

Creative Consideration

You’ll need:

• colored pencils
• pens
• paper or your sketchbook

a. Make a non-representational drawing of what it might be like to experience a hospital room in pain, discomfort and uncertainty or fear.

b. On top of that drawing or on a separate page, make another drawing of how you conceptualize the energy of a visitor animal impacting that same situation.

Discussion

• What do you think animals bring to the healing process?
• Do you have any personal experiences with the influence of animal energy in your own well being?

Jot your ideas down in your notebook

Resources

The Delta Society registers what they call Pet Partner Teams (usually a human and a canine, though other appropriate animals may be registered as well) after they pass an evaluation process. These teams then connect with facilities who desire such visits and make arrangements to get on sight and spread this positive influence as often as they can. More info at: http://www.deltasociety.org

Enjoy Like a Dog

Dogs are some of the most delightful optimists as ever bounded across the face of the earth. Plus they can be very clear about expressing themselves. Happiness, anticipation, joy, disappointment, excitement — we’ve all seen dogs acting out these emotions (whether they’re actually emoting or not is becoming less controversial as science catches up to actual life on this issue).

The way they naturally embody their impulses seems so healthy — so right! Their natural gusto for eating, playing, wandering, even sleeping, gives refreshing meaning to everything they turn their attention to.

Activity

“Enjoy Like a Dog”

React with joy and happiness to life’s simple pleasures.

• Eat a cookie (or two or twenty). Nothing fancy, animal crackers would be perfect
• Go for a walk – meander, explore, let your nose guide you, backtrack
• Go for a ride – be a passenger, stick your nose out the window!
• Greet friends and family effusively
• Play ball with all your might
• jump in a lake!
• take a nap in the sun
• wolf your food
• follow your nose, smell every smell

Experience these ordinary delights with an enthusiasm usually reserved for our canine pals. Adopt their upbeat tone and sense of adventure through what might otherwise be rather mundane experiences.

Questions

• Did doing things this way feel different? What were those differences?
• Did you notice things you might not ordinarily? Like what?

If you adopted the Dog way of life how might you approach the following everyday situations?

• your job
• your housework
• routine tasks
• ordinary pleasures

Creative Consideration

Record your feelings and experiences when you’ve finished being Dog for the day. (Maybe you’re dog-tired!)