Dogs Don´t Care

Dogs don´t care what they look like nor do they care what other dogs look like. Dog don´t care if another dog has blue blood or Heinz 57 running through it´s veins. Dogs don´t care if the other is a city canine or a country runt of the litter. Dogs don´t care about age, be it in dog years or human. Dogs don´t care.

It struck me the other day as I passed a most hideous specimen of dog that this creature had no concept of it´s appearance. It lounged on the sidewalk, red eyes rolling up at me from a head that appeared to have shrunk into it´s neck. Like a train pummeling down it´s tracks, the thought went through my mind that not only did this wretch not care, but the pack down the street wouldn´t think twice about it´s looks either. It just basked in the sun, displaying it´s royal ugliness for all who would pass by.

There is a dog, Sam, who has claimed the trophy for world´s ugliest dog three years in a row. Sadly, I just discovered that he died this past November. However, his shocking mug can be found on T-shirts, mugs, and a 2006 calendar (order yours and see the horrific at samugliestdog.com) . His master coddled him as if he were the finest example of dog beauty one could ever behold.

I can`t deny that there exists the beauties and the beasts. We tend to appreciate the beautiful more than the beastly but, there is something I want to learn from the world of dogs and from Sam´s owner. How often do I dismiss someone simply because I don´t find them attractive? Have you ever met someone who didn´t appeal to you initially but once you got to know them, you found them attractive? I admit that I´ve watched gorgeous people marry not-so-gorgeous partners and thought, "How in the world did that happen?!?" Here lies the irony; I know that I should pay less attention to the outer appearance and give more of my energies to getting to know the heart, but knowledge and action are not the same. The woman who cared for Sam understood the process of moving beyond the exterior.

At this point it would be good to note that dogs also don´t care about gender or family lines. For this reason, Sam has a lot of competition in Bolivia. Dogs also don´t care what time of night it is as the Cochabamba Canine Choir continues to serenade me whilst I sleep. Still, I resolve to learn something from the domain of dogs. This year, 2006, there will be a "letting go" and an "accepting" of appearances in the life of Marcée. And that, my friends, is my final meandering for 2005. Happy New Year!