It’s A Dog’s Life–Copy It!

credited to Charles M. Schulz

Let’s face it. It really is a dog’s life. But what does that exactly mean? On the face of it, I think when people say that, they mean that dogs primarily eat, sleep, and – well – take care of business. ;)

But here in this hectic holiday season, when you may have so much to do your head is spinning, I would like to take this opportunity to remind you to perhaps live like a dog. Here are some ways you might accomplish this:

1. Exercise (translated: PLAY)! When my schnorkie Lucy first got home with us (a rescue), she didn’t know how to play. We got toys, all different kinds, and she would sniff them and walk away. Finally we found one that clicked with her. SQUEAKY toys. Now she can’t get enough of them. Secretly? I think she thinks they’re alive. ;)

2. Rest! When dogs need to sleep, or when they are bored, they conserve their energy for when something exciting comes along. As humans being and doing, I myself will testify to the fact that I don’t get nearly enough rest. I get maybe 4-5 hours of sleep a night and I rarely nap during the day. I’m going to work on making it a dog’s life in 2013.

3. Eat! When they’re hungry, dogs eat. When you tell them it’s “all gone,” they’re pretty much satisfied and can deal. It’s a good policy to adopt.

4. Drink! Lucy is constantly drinking and I think she has a bladder the size of a pea. Literally. Hence the 4-5 hours of sleep a night, because of early rising. I try to drink 8-10 glasses of water a day, but when my nephew stayed with me for a few days, and then a few days more, it kicked back in a Pepsi addiction, so I’m back to that. :( Water flushes toxins out of our bodies, it’s good for our skin, it aids the digestive process, eases back fatigue, there are so many reasons to drink water.

5. Stretch! Ever notice, you who own dogs, that they stretch before they do anything? There you are in a hurry to take them out to do their thing, and they just have to stretch before they can make it up the stairs. Lucy is 3 1/2 years old, and you’d think she was geriatric the way she gets ready to head out somewhere. But stretching is important. It keeps us limber, and it relaxes otherwise tense muscles.

6. Yawn! If I counted the number of times Lucy yawned in a day, I’d have no time for anything else. Now, dogs have all kinds of reasons they yawn. Did you know sometimes it’s a sign of stress? But sometimes it’s just plain ol’ fatigue, and sometimes it’s lack of oxygen, just like with us. So yawn, exercise those jaw muscles.

Happy Wednesday.

Peace out.