August 26th is National Dog Day. What’s the nicest thing you can do for your dog after good nutrition and regular exercise? Get down on the floor! Dogs love it when we come up to their level of engagement and get down on all fours and play. Do it… and watch your dog’s response. Even a dog in the midst of a hot summer’s day slumber will begin to delightfully wag, wiggle and wake up for a puppy play break with its favorite pal! And, while you’re playing, petting, praising and giving to the one creature on this planet who adores you unconditionally, know that you’re also enhancing your own health. The bonding hormone The hormone oxytocin is called the bonding hormone. Oxytocin is stimulated during child birth, lactation, sexual intercourse, and during any physical showing of affection. So, want to get healthier? Touch the ones you love…even yourself if you dare…no, not just there…anywhere! Any time we are engaged in a physical bonding activity such as stroking our canine pals this calming hormone is produced and we are better for it. Talk about a win-win. While chemistry might explain why people who live alone feel better emotional health by having a pet, the heart doesn’t need an explanation. A pet gives us something to pour our love out onto; and as we know, the more we give, the more we receive. Pet therapy is commonplace these days. My daughter and I were visiting a friend in the hospital recently and snuck in our little Chihuahua because our friend is a dog lover. The brightness that came over people’s faces as we greeted them in the halls was worth the risk of breaking the hospital rules. Unfortunately, according to the nurse who came in during our visit, Sky Lakes Medical Center here in Klamath Falls does not allow animals, but this nurse had the compassionate sense to look the other way which was very much appreciated by our ailing friend and those whose day was brightened by the dog’s presence. Dog is God, backwards It’s no surprise to dog lovers that the word, ‘dog,’ spelled backwards, is God. Whether or not this is a divinely ordained fact remains unknown as does the etymology of the word, dog. It seems that the word ‘dog’ has a rather mysterious origin and we aren’t quite sure where the term comes from. Hmmm…interesting. Year of the Dog Chinese astrology suggests that people born in the Year of the Dog (1934, 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006) possess the best traits of human nature: loyalty, honesty, and trustworthiness. Astrological characteristics are basically the same in domesticated animals as they are in people of the same sun sign. The only difference is that critters don’t have the free will option, thereby eliminating the likelihood of messing up their lives by choice alone. Our home has a Libran German Shepherd (shown in the photo), an Aquarian Chihuahua, two Leo cats, one Taurean cat and one Gemini cat. Based on our observations, they express the zodiacal traits much like the people with those same Sun signs. So, Happy (belated) National Dog Day! We might be domesticating them, but I sure hope they’re rubbing more than just their fur off on us.
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