As a writer, I have the good fortune of being able to work at home, which has many advantages. But the greatest advantage, by far, is that I get to spend a lot of time with my dog. At first glance, it might not seem like Spooner is very good for my productivity. After all, he has a persistent habit of periodically interrupting my work by pushing my hands off the keyboard with his snout. Once he succeeds in breaking my concentration, he dives into what is known in dog world as a “play bow.” He lowers the front half of his body onto the ground, keeps his back end raised, and wags his tail like there is no tomorrow. This is dog-speak for “What are you waiting for? Come play with me!” A play bow invitation is very hard to resist, and so I often find myself taking unplanned breaks in the backyard.

As anyone who works at a computer all day knows, sitting at a keyboard has its health risks. Prior to sharing my life with a dog, I didn’t take the breaks my body and mind needed. My body needs to move and stretch, and my senses need engagement with nature. Before I had a dog, I was often so focused on my work that I didn’t even notice the weather, let alone which perennials were blooming or which birds were singing in my own backyard. So much for working at home! I might as well have been confined to a stuffy cubicle for all the attention I was paying to the world. But Spooner reminds me to get outside, breathe some fresh air, soak up some vitamin D, stretch my muscles, and actually notice what’s happening around me. I might spend a little less time at the computer, but the time I do spend working is more productive because the breaks revitalize me.

Spooner hasn’t just changed the way I work–he has also changed the way I walk. Although I can appreciate a brisk “power walk” to get my heart rate going, there’s also something to be said for a meandering, Thoreauvian stroll. When we take our daily walks, Spooner looks at, sniffs, listens to, tastes, and touches nearly everything he encounters. Now, I take my cues from him, and when I walk, I try to engage the earthly world with all my senses. Before Spooner, I had become so trapped in my mental abilities of abstraction and analysis that I often forgot to stop and smell the proverbial roses.

This is what dogs–and other animals–do for us: They help us to come to our senses-to regain an honest, primal consciousness based on experience, not abstraction. In her book, Animals in Translation, author Temple Grandin theorizes that one of the big differences between people and animals is that animals don’t have all the complex defense mechanisms that people do. Animals don’t repress their fears, or deny what’s going on around them. Spooner certainly engages coping strategies (like not making provocative eye contact with big, unfamiliar dogs we encounter), but he doesn’t “lie” to himself about the dog not being there. If I find a chewed-up sneaker and look at Spooner, he doesn’t “pretend” he didn’t do it. Instead, he lowers his head in confession and apology. Though our human world undoubtedly requires a certain amount of pretense and repression in order to cope with the constraints of culture, most of us would benefit from the kind of uncomplicated honesty that dogs practice.

Walking and playing with Spooner helps me gain perspective on what’s really important in life. Spooner wags his tail like there’s no tomorrow, because for him, there really isn’t a tomorrow. For dogs, life is all about the here and now because they are natural Zen masters, living in the moment from the day they are born. Unfortunately, for most of us, it takes a serious crisis before we try to live for today. But dogs can help us to remember that age-old axiom: Worry won’t spare us any sorrow tomorrow, but it will sap today of its joy.

Speaking of joy, I recently had the pleasure of howling with Spooner. I was joking around with him (dogs have a great sense of humor) and started howling. Before I knew it, Spooner tilted his head back in wolfish majesty, pursed his black velvet lips, and let out the most amazing howl. It was so beautiful and primal that it took my breath away, but just for a moment. I then immediately joined him and we howled in harmony for several minutes. Of course, I know that Spooner is not a wolf, but let’s remember that every dog’s lineage goes back to those howling ancestors. Most scientists who study wolves speculate that howling strengthens and reaffirms the social bonds between pack mates. This may be just a theory, but tell that to Spooner, who, once we finished our duet, covered me in big, sloppy dog kisses. The lesson here? Find ways to harmonize with your pack.

There is much we could improve about our health, both psychologically and physically, if we followed the tao-or way of dog. Perhaps the most important lesson relates to how we treat one another. People tend to forget how much family and friends matter to them. Work deadlines, financial pressures, multi-tasking–these facts of life often prevent us from remembering, let alone expressing, how much other people mean to us. Like dogs, we are pack animals, and most of us really do need a pack to be happy. But unlike dogs, we often forget to treat other people in ways that reflect our warm feelings for them. Dogs are always happy to see their family members and friends, and they always express this happiness. This is one of the reasons we like dogs so much–they never let us forget how much they love us. Imagine how much warmer the world would be if we could do the same for one another.

ANIMAL Rx RESOURCES
Dogs–and other animals–don’t just “teach” us how to live healthier lives, they actually improve our health! Scientific research has demonstrated that contact with nonhuman animals is good for us. The health benefits of exposure to animals range from general well-being (demonstrated by fewer visits to the doctor) to increased survival rates after life-threatening diseases. Studies have demonstrated that having a companion animal-or even just visiting with an animal-lowers blood pressure and cholesterol levels, reduces anxiety and depression, improves sleeping habits, memory, and mobility, enhances family life (by decreasing tension and fostering the development of empathy and compassion), and even helps with cognitive development and self esteem in children.

Animal-assisted therapy (ATT) programs are used in hospitals, nursing homes, schools, and prisons to address a variety of physical and psychological health problems. Look at the resources on the right if you’re interested in learning more about how animals can improve your health.

Delta Society: The Human-Animal Health Connection
Established in 1977, the Delta Society is the leading international resource for the human-animal bond. Delta Society has been the force to validate the important role of animals for people’s health and well-being by promoting the results of research to the media and health and human services organizations.

Therapy Dogs International
Founded in 1976, Therapy Dogs International, Inc. (TDI) is a volunteer organization dedicated to regulating, testing and registration of therapy dogs and their volunteer handlers for the purpose of visiting nursing homes, hospitals, other institutions and wherever else therapy dogs are needed.

North American Riding for the Handicapped Association
Since 1969, the North American Riding for the Handicapped Association, Inc. (NARHA), has provided Equine Assisted Activity and Therapy (EAAT) programs in the United States and Canada through its network of nearly 800 member centers. Each year, dozens of new centers initiate new programs and more than 38,000 individuals with disabilities benefit from activities that include therapeutic riding, equine assisted psychotherapy, driving, interactive vaulting, and competition.

Belinda Recio is Organic Spa Magazine’s editor of nature and psyche. She has published several books on topics ranging from nature to sacred arts.

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