Dogs have much to teach us, from living in the moment to unconditional love

They call them the dog days, this time of year when summer has lasted way too long and it's way too hot, and when the arrival of fall beckons like a Milk Bone to a famished German shepherd.

The phrase gets its name from Sirius, the dog star, seen in the summer sky. But, really now: What did dogs ever do to become associated with the hottest, stickiest, ickiest part of the summer?

That's why we're taking advantage of the Dog Days of Summer '09 to celebrate the wisdom of the humble canine.

Fact is, dogs can teach their human masters a lot. Like furry, four-pawed buddhas with a fondness for -- and we're just guessing, but the original Buddha probably felt the same way -- the occasional tummy rub, dogs can impart some helpful lessons, if we would only pay attention.

So, lacking anything better to do on a humid summer evening, we asked several valley dog owners this simple question: What have you learned from your dog?

For Kyle Gallegos, caring for Diesel, a 7-month-old pit bull-Lab mix, and Remy, a 2-month-old red-nosed pit bull, has taught patience. Not to mention, fiancee Alexis Hahn adds, the how-tos of housekeeping.

Diesel still deals with incontinence issues, Gallegos explains. "He does it mainly when we first see him, like when we leave the house."

But, come to think of it, what better training for child-rearing could there be? Gallegos and Hahn, who have set a Feb. 14 wedding date, don't buy it immediately, but eventually come around.

Dogs do require "a lot of love," Gallegos says. But they also give it back, Hahn notes, offering their owners lessons in "love, and how to be playful."

Alain Alpe would agree. Dogs, he says, are effective teachers of "unconditional love."

Before adopting Moxi, his 7-month-old Lab-chow mix, about five months ago, Alpe had a poodle named Moly for 13 years. The problem is, Moly had trouble bonding with Alpe's daughter at first. Moly, Alpe explains, was "very, very jealous."

It seemed that either Moly or Alpe's daughter would have to leave, and the smart money wasn't on Alpe's daughter.

Then, Alpe says, "I got very sick, and I stayed in bed for four days, and this dog stayed next to me for four days. It just got up to go to the bathroom and came right back."

Given such fierce loyalty, Alpe says, the family decided that they would all just "have to work on it."

The family put Moly to sleep about eight months ago. Alpe says his daughter -- Moly never did become really tight with her -- "slept with the collar of that dog for four nights."

Dogs display their loyalty and love in ways humans either don't or can't. Dogs, Alpe says, "know five minutes before you're home (that) you're on the way. My wife used to tell me, 'You know, I knew exactly when you would come home because, five minutes before, (Moly) was sitting in front of the door.' "

Dogs teach us to be ourselves, no matter how silly we might seem to others. Yeller, Malcolm Watson's 10-year-old yellow Lab, "hasn't really changed that much" since puppyhood, Watson concedes. "He's still the same old dog."

But Yeller also can teach us about optimism. Yeller enjoys "digging stuff," especially during the spring, says Watson, who suspects it has something to do with dogs' mating instincts.

Yet, even though Yeller remains romantically unattached and probably always will be, he continues to dig as if his soul mate is right around the next corner -- even though, Watson adds, "when I point out the holes to him, he gets very upset."

Another lesson from Yeller: It's always a good time for an adventure. All Watson has to do is say the word "walk," and Yeller is at the door, ready to go, even if he doesn't know where he'll be going.

"He loves to travel," Watson says.

Dogs teach us that, no matter what anybody says, first impressions don't always matter. Take Tom Jeffress' 11/2-year-old mastiff, Repo, who is "huge," Jeffress says. "He's the biggest dog I've ever owned. He eats a lot, and he slobbers a lot."

Yet, Jeffress continues, "he's great. He's got the most wonderful personality. Just a good, good dog."

Dogs can teach us that there's always reason to be happy. Marty Enz loves how Bing, his nearly 3-year-old border collie, is "always happy. It's nice to be around her. She's always happy."

"If I have a bad day and I come home from work all hot and sweaty, she's the first one to greet you at the door," Enz says.

Dogs can teach us forgiveness. Parker, a 9-month-old schnauzer mix, came into Lynne Wiley's life about three months ago. Parker, Wiley says, apparently was abandoned in a parking lot. Yet, Parker bears no grudge and is fond of jumping into pretty much whatever lap happens to be handy.

"Anybody can pick her up," Wiley says. "Some other dogs (at the dog park) get kind of assertive, and she runs and jumps into anybody's lap nearby."

Dogs can teach us to listen. "When she talks to me, she'll sit and she'll growl and she'll bark and, at first, I didn't pay attention," Wiley says.

Now, she says, "I say, 'Well, she's already eaten, she's peed outside and we've played, so why is she anxious?' And, well, we'll have to go to the park."

Most of all, dogs can teach us about the joys any given moment can hold.

"The key is to live in the moment and get close to nature," says Betsy Meinhold, who's reading a book and watching her dogs -- Louie, a 101/2-year-old mixed breed; Liam, a border collie/poodle mix; and Rosie, a 2-year-old Australian cattle dog -- enjoy their visit to the dog park.

"They teach me to be in the moment, that's for sure," Meinhold says.

"This is my greatest joy, sitting out here with them."

Contact reporter John Przybys at jprzybys@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0280.