Dog is Love
Sometimes I bring my dog Hugo to counseling sessions. Here are the top 10 reasons why:
*He loves you. How can you not feel better?
*He's still a bit of a puppy (in a big-dog body), and his playfulness is a great reminder that we all need to take ourselves less seriously sometimes.
*Having an animal in the room is a connection to nature, to our deeper, primal, "wild" selves, the part of us that isn't staring at a glowing screen or doing 15 tasks at once.
*Petting a dog lowers blood pressure and triggers humans' relaxation response.
*He's an icebreaker. Sometimes walking into a counseling session for the first time and sitting across from a therapist can be a bit intimidating, but Hugo naturally breaks down any tension and increases connection from the get-go.
*Hugo provides the perfect opportunity for me to illustrate setting healthy boundaries with others (i.e. when I have to tell him "No" and "Stop that" as he pulls tissues out of the trash or tries to sneak up onto the couch). There are many parallels between interacting with dogs and interacting with people (just ask the Dog Whisperer!).
*He is a wonderful example of how anyone can be lovable, even with imperfections. (Yep, he sheds, and farts, and squirms at the wrong times, but he is adorable just as he is.
*He is a natural clock, getting up to stretch just as it's time for the session to start winding down.
*He forces me to step outside the office periodically, to soak up a little sunshine (while he empties his bladder) and return to the next session refreshed.
*He doesn't worry about the future, and doesn't agonize about the past. He just is what he is, enjoying his doggy-ness. A monk I once knew said, "dogs illustrate the doggy nature of God." He's a reminder to just BE. Woof!