August Edition of Pack Wisdom
In This Issue
A Note from James: Dogs Days of Friendship
Favorite Letter of the Month: A Poodle Talks
Dogspirational Quotes
Cutest Video of the Month: Dog Endures Friendship with Kitten
What I Learned From Dogs This Month: Be a Better Friend
Not That Your Dog Has Problems …
In the Beach or in the Car
A Note from James: Dog Days of Friendship
But friendship is precious, not only in the shade, but in the sunshine of life; and thanks to a benevolent arrangement of things, the greater part of life is sunshine. -Thomas Jefferson
Aloha, Dog Lovers,
The ancient Romans noticed that Sirius, the Dog Star, was prominent in the sky during the hottest months of the year. They figured the star contributed to the heat, and that’s why we call July and August “the dog days.”
I think there’s more to this ancient phrase. There is no doubt that Maui is one of my very best friends, and that her love for me shines with the light and heat of the sun no matter what else may be happening.
Late for her dinner? She’s still all warmth.
Air conditioning blows out, and we’re all “dog hot”? She still wants to cuddle. I leave for an entire day, and she’s all alone? She is still wagging her tail to greet me.Maui’s friendship for me … and the slower, hotter days … make me think more about all of my other friends. Is there anything better than staying up late on a summer night after it’s started to cool down, and sharing stories with friends?
(Here in Maui our big nighttime fun is watching geckos catch bugs on the porch ceiling while we chat.)
On Monday I drove my dear friend Mary Omwake to the airport for a several week stint in Thailand. Mary is very important to me. We even call each other “hanai” Mom and “hanai” son (hanai means adopted in Hawaiian). Her absence over the next few weeks is significant. Not only will I miss her wise counsel and unconditional love, I will miss working with her. For the last four years we have co-hosted a radio show together, Conversations with Friends, here on Maui. She has been the minister at Unity Church on Maui for several years, and this show was a way of reaching out the community. Reverend Mary has decided to step down from her position at Unity, and so the show is going on hiatus.This leaves me suddenly with a big hole in my schedule (it was a weekly show), and almost a feeling of disorientation.
I hope to do another show with Mary someday, and perhaps we will. After all, as Warren Buffett once said in a television interview, you should always “do what you love to do, with people you cherish.”
I cherish Mary with all of my heart, and I cherish all the people I work with. And, of course, I cherish Maui, too.
Cherish your friends, and be well this long, slow, lazy dog day month.
Aloha,
James Jacobson
Creator, Do You Remember Love?
Author, How to Meditate with Your Dog
PS: The radio shows from the last two years are all up at http://conversationswithfriends.com/. Enjoy.
Favorite Letter of the Month: A Poodle Talks
Hi James,
It is so true that dogs offer unconditional love … My dog, Chrissie, is a poodle … and from the beginning she was a partner, a friend and a comforter.
She meets me after work with excitement. Before being fed or let out she always wants time with me. She looks at me like she really understands what I say. I believe she does.
I am anxious to start the meditation. In a way, we already do that. We spend one on one time just “talking” to each other. I am a Hospice Volunteer and many times find both cats and dogs to be a great comfort to the patients. Bless you for your loving kindness, Jewel
Dear Jewel,
Dogs really do understand us, especially when we speak their language of unconditional love. Their constant and faithful assumption that the world is a loving place (in other words, their Pack Wisdom) reminds us to live that way, too.
Chrissie sounds like an incredible companion and friend. She’s a lucky girl to have you for her human.
Thank you for your work as a Hospice Volunteer. I used Hospice services when my father passed two years ago, and I know firsthand just how comforting it was to have people who understood what was happening and were comfortable with my chaotic, overwhelming feelings of sadness and anger. No wonder Chrissie likes you so much – you must have a lot of patience and love yourself!
Hospice volunteers are nearly as friendly as dogs are 
Maui and I look forward to hearing about your experiences with meditation. You seem to already have the hang of it, so be sure to drop us a line and let us know how your experiences are going.
“No one appreciates the very special genius of your conversation as the dog does.” - Christopher Morley
“Some of my best leading men have been dogs and horses.” - Elizabeth Taylor
Cutest Video: Dog Endures Friendship with Kitten
If you haven’t seen this yet, you have to. A tiny white kitten plays with a very patient, very sweet golden retriever.So cute and funny!
What I Learned from Dogs This Month: Be a Better Friend
I went out for a walk with Maui the other day and we met up with one of her best (and biggest) friends, a Standard Poodle named Star.
Star bolted for Maui as soon as she saw her, but then halted within two paws length of Maui and bowed down to greet her. Star is a year and a half old, so she’s still got a lot of puppy energy in her. Yet without any prompting at all, she just about laid herself at Maui’s feet and I swear Maui could have done anything she wanted to her.
Star knows that Maui has some trouble seeing these days and so she adjusts her behavior and energy level to make Maui comfortable.
I recognized in this behavior an essential quality in really good friends. My very best friends are the ones who are this supportive and respectful of me. I like to think that I’m this supportive and respectful of them, too.
I don’t know who said it, but I’ve heard that in order to have a friend, you have to be a friend. Over the years I’ve learned how to be a better friend – and I’ve noticed that my friends seem to be better friends to me, too.
So in the end, the act of friendship is a beautiful gift we ultimately extend to ourselves … because it always comes back to us through deeper, more nourishing friendships.
Maui and I have been friends for quite some time now, and I’m so glad that I’ve learned so much about being a friend from her.
Not That Your Dog Has Problems …
So many of you have written lately asking for help with dog behavior issues, so I thought I’d tell you about a great site I recently discovered.
There are amazingly helpful discussion forums here, plus really solid professional advice. The downloadable book is really helpful, too.
Check them out:
Listen in the Car or at the Beach
Summer road trips cry out for an audiobook, and people keep writing to tell me how much they enjoy the audiobook version of How to Meditate with Your Dog.
I’m glad so many are enjoying it - I’ve listened to it often enough, (smile), so I’m currently enjoying the new Harry Potter on my beach jaunts. If you want to get the audiobook (instant download, no cd’s or messy environmental impact), click this link now:
Audiobook Version of How to Meditate with Your Dog
