Dogs, canines, pooches and puppies, oh, my!

They have lessons to teach, lessons that the human race should be wise to learn.

Here’s just a few.

Lesson one: Freedom is essential for a good life.

Let me start with my mutt, Skippy, that I had when I was about 12. Back in the day, most pooches were outside every day all year except when storms charged by or temperatures fell below freezing, but when that happened, my Skippy spent the night in our cellar.

He was tied to a tree all day long and would wrap himself around the trunk and spend hours trying to loosen himself by pulling on the chain in the wrong direction.

One day when I went outside to feed him, I unfastened his chain to untangle it from the tree and he broke free from my hand and bolted across the yard, and down the street he ran. I called his name to no avail. I rode my bike for much of the rest of the day looking for him, but he was nowhere in sight. Skippy never returned. Wherever he ran away, he must have been so happy to finally be free from the chain.

Animals and humans want to be free. There is an innate instinct for everything that lives to never be held in captivity.

Lesson two: The eyes tell the truth.

A while ago, I had two Dalmatians living with me. I took notice that whenever I would call Pokie or Sage’s name, each dog would make eye contact 100 percent of the time while I talked to them. Now, they might not have understood what I was saying, but their eyes never strayed from mine. When dogs keep their eyes on us, that’s how they show their respect. It should be the same with people.

To believe what a person is saying, he or she should sustain eye contact. Speaking while looking off to the side usually means that his or her honesty is doubted.

Lesson three: Defend the family.

Most dogs bark when they hear a noise outside the home or when someone they don’t know enters through the door. Sometimes we get annoyed at the barking, but all they are doing is sending off an alarm to us that something or someone that is unfamiliar to their environment is not readily welcomed. I had a black Lab that actually screeched in a high pitch when anyone entered our house. Once the visitor was no longer a concern, back to sleep went the Lab.

I learned that the homestead is to always be protected, and anytime we hear footsteps coming up to the door, it’s most likely a friend or family member, but hey, you never know.

Lesson four: Be grateful for the simple things.

Pooches don’t need much to be happy. When a miniature schnauzer eats the same food day in and day out, not once do you get the look that says, “What, you’re feeding me this again?” They need a simple place to sleep; in fact, anything will do. Dogs will sleep on concrete and wood or anywhere on the floor is fine, too. As far as attention goes, they don’t need much, but it’s important they get some.

I’m content with what every day brings me. Simple food. Good people. Nice weather now and then and a little nap on the couch and life is good.

Lesson five: Boredom is self-inflicted.

If you lived the life of a pet dog, you might think how boring life would be. They sleep 16 hours a day. They get little exercise. They play only if somebody wants to play with them. And that’s about it in their daily lives. Yet dogs, even if they might appear otherwise, are never bored. With their day-in and day-out humdrum routines, they still wag their tails whenever we give them a brief moment of attention.

I have learned that boredom is not something caused by outside circumstances. We can find anything interesting if we choose to do so. Kids often complain about boring teachers. The truth be said, these kids are boring students who choose not to involve themselves in the activity of classroom instruction.

Lesson six: Love unconditionally.

I read somewhere there’s a rising number of young adult women who would rather own a dog than have to put in the time and effort to try to have a romantic relationship with another person that might become complicated and eventually fail. One woman said, “If I come home at 2 a.m., there’s my pooch waiting at the door wagging his tail and he doesn’t ask me, “So where have you been?” We can ignore, yell, or discipline our dogs all day long, but they still will love us unconditionally. To get that from a person is more of a rarity than one might think.

We can love our families and friends unconditionally despite what they do might disappoint us. Love isn’t love if we have to say, “I’ll only love you if. …”

Well, then, I’ve often said that if I get another chance at life after this one, I want to come back as a pet pooch living with a good family. Ah, the simple life! No work to do. Sleep all day and if somebody rubs my belly every now and then and drops some table food onto the floor, I’ll be a happy Huckleberry Hound!

Rich Strack can be reached at richiesadie11@gmail.com.