If you’ve ever doubted evolution, just look at how dogs have adapted to their environment.
They’ve gone from running in packs and hunting for food in the wild to hanging out by the caveman snooping for scraps to building a trust with man (hoping for better scraps) to spending two nights at a $400-a-night Dog Chalet.
What next?
How about dog theater, dog meditation and dog beauty implants?
James Jacobson was meditating one day when his Maltese, Maui, jumped into his lap. Jacobson “synched his breathing” with Maui’s. Dog meditation was born.
Thirteen years later, Jacobson brings us “How to Meditate With Your Dog.”
“It’ll help your dog to be quieter,” Jacobson said. “It can help with anxiety relief. It is a time for dog and owner to reconnect; both feel loved.”
I’ve never understood these dog people. They’d say things like, “Samson prefers 300-count cotton sheets,” or “Mookie loves when I wear the magenta blouse.” I used to just smile and nod.
But when I adopted a dog (through marriage), I started to understand. Dogs really are people too. They have distinct personalities. With a certain look or bark, I can usually tell whether our Shih Tzu wants to watch “Dr. Phil” or take a run to the Mystic Celt pub to sniff the waitresses.
Dogs can be a reflection of us. I’m confident enough in my manhood to take the Shih Tzu out in public, however, upon her return from the barber, I feel a need to explain to strangers walking by that I am not responsible for the pink ribbons in her ears.
I’m all for good grooming, but plastic surgery is just goofy.
Gregg Miller of Missouri invented artificial dog testicles. He calls them “neuticals.” They help dogs who’ve been neutered to keep that “natural” look and to improve their “self-esteem.” What idiot would buy these? Miller says he’s sold 150,000 so far. Want to improve your dog’s self-esteem? Give him a filet. He’ll feel great about himself.
It can be difficult to understand a dog’s perspective, but here’s your chance to get inside the canine mind. The dog musical comedy “Bark” opens later this month at the Chicago Center for the Performing Arts’ studio theater. It is performed by humans, but from a dog’s perspective.
David Troy Francis is the producer, and he owns two dogs. He says he understands how some people get so wrapped up in the relationship with their dog that they might sacrifice a connection to humans.
“Sometimes I feel that pet owners that cannot or choose not to make a similar connection with humans do so not because of any fault of their own, but rather because it is very difficult to find humans whose values and lives are ones that you want to share all the time.”
How many co-workers or spouses greet you at the door with a smile and wagging tail? It makes you wonder: What’s next in the evolution of pooches and people?
———-
lpotash@tribune.com
