What a surprise this offering was Jessica. I openly admit to being someone who harshly judges dog people and their dog people ways. In recent years, tho, I’ve taken to casually observing and studying the relationship between the people in my life and their dogs, and it’s a pretty fascinating subject. I especially had a front row seat while in a former romantic relationship (in which my ex agonized over his impossible-to-train dog)when I started noticing just how much dogs and their owners (in their reactivity to their dogs) trigger me and my stuff! The relational stuff is indeed where the juice is, and it’s not limited just to “you and your person” or “you and your dog” but even between “you and your dog and the person interacting with you and your dog!” ❤️
This is so wonderful. I think a lot about listening, and interpreting language that isn't necessarily the language I'm speaking, when it comes to beings who aren't human. I wrote about training my puppy too, earlier this year, and I was thinking about paying attention to her way of conveying language to me, in lieu of speech. She continues to teach me so much as we continue to get to know one another through many challenges. I know that her autonomy of experiences and way of communication are key, different from my own. But we're learning together. Thank you for this reflection!
Reminds me of something Alfred Adler said I've been thinking about often lately: "All problems are interpersonal relationship problems"
What a surprise this offering was Jessica. I openly admit to being someone who harshly judges dog people and their dog people ways. In recent years, tho, I’ve taken to casually observing and studying the relationship between the people in my life and their dogs, and it’s a pretty fascinating subject. I especially had a front row seat while in a former romantic relationship (in which my ex agonized over his impossible-to-train dog)when I started noticing just how much dogs and their owners (in their reactivity to their dogs) trigger me and my stuff! The relational stuff is indeed where the juice is, and it’s not limited just to “you and your person” or “you and your dog” but even between “you and your dog and the person interacting with you and your dog!” ❤️
This is so wonderful. I think a lot about listening, and interpreting language that isn't necessarily the language I'm speaking, when it comes to beings who aren't human. I wrote about training my puppy too, earlier this year, and I was thinking about paying attention to her way of conveying language to me, in lieu of speech. She continues to teach me so much as we continue to get to know one another through many challenges. I know that her autonomy of experiences and way of communication are key, different from my own. But we're learning together. Thank you for this reflection!
Loved this.