WHERE DO WE BELONG?

If you ask a dog where he or she belongs, they will say something like, “In a human’s lap,” or “In a loving home.”  I’m a foster dog so this is a no brainer.

If you ask a human where they belong, you might get the same answer if he or she was a foster child but for the most part humans don’t appear to know where they belong. What’s the point of having so much intelligence (higher IQs than dogs) if you can’t use it to know yourself well enough to find your place in life?  Case in point:

Fact: Research suggests that at least 54% of the human population is not self-aware enough to self-report accurately.

Fact: 86% of the time, a person’s self perception does not align with reality making it difficult to determine whether a business owner is hiring the right person for the job based on what the recruit is reporting on a typical assessment. 

Fact: A recent Herman Trends Report noted that 50-80% of workers are in jobs for which their personality and interests really aren't well matched.  In fact, eight out of 10 employees are miscast in the right job.

There is a cool personality/emotional intelligence (EQ) profiling tool called CORE that helps humans figure themselves out so they are more likely to find more fulfilling work because they realize the work they are best suited to do.  All in all, a dog’s ‘work’ is to take care of humans but we have other jobs including serving as eyes for blind humans, rescuing humans after a natural disaster, to name a few.  Sometimes we are like humans and we are placed into jobs that aren’t best for us. 

I watched a hospital reality show this weekend about a German Shepherd that was hired to help the security guys in the emergency room. He was supposed to help police officers in the hospital to subdue bad people that tried to do bad things in the hospital.  When a crazed patient attacked doctors, the German Shepherd was brought in to help but he cowered instead of trying to fight.  He’s in the wrong job.  

Later, when a child came to the hospital screaming with pain, the Shepherd went to him and comforted the child. The child calmed down and the doctor took care of him.

Now the Shepherd ‘works’ in the hospital to calm patients rather than attack them.  He's in the right job.

So, here’s my lesson of the day… If you have a human lap to sit in or a loving home to stay in, then you really have all you need as a dog but if your purpose extends beyond this, then try to make sure that your dog is in the right ‘job’.  Just as this is best for a human, it is best for a dog too.

 

Okay, the question of the day is from Skitter who asked:  Dear Parker, why does my human mom spray stuff on the flowers in her garden to make them stink?  Although I LOVE the stinky smell, most humans want flowers to smell sweet.

Dear Skitter:

I suspect you are talking about a product called ‘Deer Off’.  It smells like something dead that a dog would bring into the house to chew on. Yum.  Humans use it on their flowers to keep deer, rabbits and other critters from eating their flowers.  Works good and it won’t hurt us (dogs).

STRANGE BEDFELLOWS

Frat the cat (my cryptic illustration below) is my friend.  

I can’t explain why exactly since I don’t much like cats.  I’m a rat terrier and we generally find them either annoying or more like a toy to chase.  There’s something about Frat’s chronic deadpan facial expression and bone-dry sense of humor.  The more miserable he tries to look, the more just looking at him makes me laugh. Which leads me to my point in today’s blog entry.

I don’t invite cats into my life yet here he is: Frat.  Jet, my foster mom, says sometimes we get the friends we need.  As a career dog and professional blog columnist, or dogamist as I like to call myself, I can be so serious.  Deadlines and topic issues are always on my dog mind.  Frat’s face makes me laugh.  The humor is good for my dog soul.

I’ve heard of other strange pals that dog’s hooked up with over time including a dog with a bird, a goat, an elephant and a horse.  They make for strange bedfellows but maybe it’s what they need rather than want humans think they want.  

Humans might consider this concept.  Jet had a friend (Katy) that kept attracting old people.  They were kind of tough to hang out with at wine-thirty (because they kept nodding off) but Katy did find her time with these senior citizens more…enriching.  She ended up changing her work place from physical therapist (PT) in a hospital to a PT in a retirement home. She loves it.

So, here’s my lesson of the day… Humans are always trying to get one dog another dog for companionship.  I’m not saying that’s a bad thing but maybe our ideal ‘companion’ is not what you think.  The same may be for a human.  If you’re not attracting the friends you want, take a closer look because you may be attracting the friends you need. If that seems to be the case, you might find this odd friend a bit of a strange bedfellow and yet exactly what you need.

Okay, the question of the day is from WIFI who asked:  Dear Parker, my little girl human wants an ant farm?  Does this mean we will have to move to a farm?  I hope not.  I like the city life.

Dear Wifi:

I bet you got your name from that new TV commercial.  Pretty cool.

Okay, let me explain that an ant farm is where humans can observe ants ‘farming’ soil to create their homes and channels to get from one point to another point.  It’s not really a farm or ranch so you don’t have to move.  Humans buy these ant farms at educational stores or toy stores.  See example below.  If you and your human want to experience an ant farm then tour one inside like the kind in the second photo below.  Pretty farm out – huh?