lessons of a sniffing dog

Occasionally, I take Spot, my wife's dog, with me when I go on a walk. I don't think I do this out of social exchange, so my wife will do something for me or because its my duty as her husband. It seems to be a nice thing to do when she is busy and cannot take him out and I am going for a walk anyway. Maybe its not really noble but just because I am always trying to be efficient and utilize time well.

Whatever the motive, I am not a "dog person", so I do not naturally understand dogs very well. However, I have learned a few things over the years. Spot will stop at least once to poop, but its unpredictable when and where. He does a quick pee and then he MUST stop often at random bushes and posts to pee again, even if he doesn't need to. I have learned that dogs pee on places they select to "mark their spot". These "dog acts" interrupt my walk, but I kinda understand so the interruptions do not irritate me.

HOWEVER, every 20 feet or so Spot stops and sniffs. Sometimes it is brief and sometimes it goes on FOREVER. It is very irritating and disruptive to my walk. It seems so pointless. I do not understand it at all. I could be really kind to Spot and my wife by walking her dog, BUT, this sniffing drives me crazy.

On a recent walk I was going through the same experience as always because dogs never waver in their behavior. I found myself yanking on his lease and saying, "come on Spot," as he seemed to excessively stop to sniff. Then it hit me!!

How often do we spend time like this with other people? Many things they do we understand and so we can manage our feelings and expectations, even as their actions create conflict and interrupts our desires. Its those things they do we don't or can't understand that build wedges between us. I don't think I will ever understand and appreciate Spot's incessant stopping and sniffing. Its just his nature and in no way a part of mine.

This can be a good lesson for us all - everybody we know has "strange" behavior that just flows from their nature. We have no way to grasp "why they do this", because we have no natural way of understanding. Maybe instead of being irritated because it interferes with our agenda, we should relax and enjoy them for who they are.

Sometimes

they need to "stop and sniff" and we do not need to know why.

It was worth a little pondering that day for me and a reminder always to accept in others things I cannot understand because I am not them .....