Sunday, September 18, 2011

My Pekingese

Dogs are great companions. What do your dogs or other pets do for you?

Sometimes with my Pekingese, it seems mostly food in and poop out, but with that, a playful, happy uncomplicated outlook on life where simple joys and basics of human/pet friendship rule and mutually doable expectations reign supreme.

I do enjoy just holding and hugging my warm furry Pekingese pets sensing their satisfaction in receiving whatever attention I give them as my hands feel their beating hearts and my spirit responds with loving thoughts.

I especially enjoy photographing them to preserve the times we share together knowing that one day I may no longer have them. Pekingese have short lives, may succumb to illness or injury, or might get lost or be stolen.

With 10 adults (5 males and 5 females) and 2 young puppies, I see their social group behavior, their personal differences, the games they play not unlike humans sometimes play as children, and how they devise various novel ways to communicate with each other and with myself.

My Pekingese provide my world a sense of stability and focus. I am important to them and they to me.

I see the cycle of life in its entirety and have learned accept that with life there is inevitable change and death. I learn about guarding their health and how to make them well if they become sick or injured. In caring for them, I learn to care better for myself.  

My Pekingese help me make friends that are true and valuable to have in life and who are never shallow, selfish, or lacking in good sense.

My Pekingese present me with problems that I must solve, obstacles to be overcome, stimulus to keep me from being bored and lazy. 

My Pekingese (10 and 2 puppies) are the tail of my life kite ... it keeps me soaring upward safety and with stability versus plummeting to the ground and crashing... for some, one Pekingese would do that, for me it takes all 10 plus the 2 puppies.

I enjoy sharing my life with my Pekingese because they make me happy, and even when they make me cry or I become angry, I know they are there for me to love. 

Life without my Pekingese would be a life without spiritual existence, without substance, without soul. 

My Pekingese are extensions of my being, sensitive to my thoughts. They are the living animated works of art that energize my life and home with their beauty and truth.

In 2006, I organized a Yahoo group for Arizona Pekingese Owners (Azpekelist). A loyal member and close friend, Jeri Gerard, wrote these beautiful lines worthy of sharing now with others:

My Pekingese,
Do so many things for me.
They fill a void or emptiness in my heart.
They comfort me when life gets to be too much some days.
They give me unconditional love.
They add so much laughter to my life.
They add beauty to my life.
They remind me to find joy in simple things,
 Like playing with an empty candy bag or laying in the sunshine. 
 I have learned from them that life can be short,
 So play hard and nap often.