Lesson 21 Stop wishing your life away or worrying about the past-Now is a perfect moment!

Dogs are very present. they live in the now. If they see a treat left on a table they grab it and run! They do things right now, this instant and spend little or no time agonising over the consequences of past or future actions.
When I am in the company of dogs this presentness rubs off on me and I start to appreciate the wonderful things that surround me at this very moment. As I write this I am looking around and appreciating the wonderful plants I have growing, my lovely comfy sofa, the wild wind blowing outside my caravan, the pace of the night....so many things.
Dogs have is sussed in many ways

and I try to be more like them but still resist the urge to roll in fox poo, mud  etc.when out walking....dogs maybe do have room for improvement after all!

Lesson 20 Dare To Be Different~ Sada Vidoo

I am watching X Factor Over 25's and have just seen Sada Vidoo perform. She announced that she is fighting for the right to be different. 

Dogs would back this sentiment. Dogs are very free spirits and no two dogs are the same. In fact, some dogs are a unique combination of many breeds and they are all the more interesting for it. 

Sads Vidoo performs and lives as a doll. Why not? is what dogs would say and I agree with them.

I really admire people who dare to be different and to live their own, unique lives as themselves. 

My lovely dog Ollie would be furious to see this photo of Fisher The Cat appearing on this dog blog but she was so uniquely herself she deserves to be here!

Lesson 19 The things that bother you now...

Dogs have taught me that the things we get caught up worrying about now are usually insignificant in the future.
Ollie used to rearrange my caravan his way, shredding the odd vital document and even consuming a £5 he got his thieving  little paws on.
All of this matters not in the grand scheme of things.
I would be only too happy to have him here messing things up if I could!
We all mess up and we all make mistakes but in the end we are forgiven and our silly deeds are largely forgotten.
We humans hate to get things wrong and will often deny it when we mess up when in reality it is far better to be honest and ask for forgiveness. People tend to respect this honesty and will let it go.
We are loved for the person we are even though we are far from perfect.
Sometimes people spend so many years refusing to talk to certain people that they can even forget whey they fell out with them in the first place.
Life is too short for this. That is what dogs have taught me.
Forgive, forget and move on wherever possible.

Lesson 18 Autumn can be good!

Dogs love being outside whatever the weather. You only have to move towards their lead and they are up and jumping about bursting to get outside and explore.
They love autumn because there are usually lots of puddles to run into and they love to flop down and roll in muddy patches.
I love watching dogs charging about in woods and listening to them racing through the fallen leaves.
I have loved the summer this year but am reminded that there were some days when it was almost too hot to go out and many dogs got easily overheated particularly the ones with thick fur.
These autumn days are providing a welcome relief for them as things start to cool off!

As you can see below, Ollie was a huge fan of a muddy puddle!

Lesson 17 moving on

I was really sorry to hear of the passing of Toby The Terrier. He was 20 something and a real character.  Ollie got on with him and he was loved by all our friends and I have very happy memories of seeing him on a lovely camping trip to Devon. Tilly, Toby's owner was so good with him. They were a real team.
I know how it feels to lose a wonderful canine companion but the happy memories remain.  Our doggie life coaches gently remind us to live in the present and not overly dwell on the past sad events.
As I write this Lovely the dog is curled up beside me.  I am so glad we have been able to offer her a place to call home.

Lesson 16 Show appreciation

Dogs are very demonstrative.  When they are happy with you they let you know by licking you in the face but we don't tend to do that!
I am vey proud of my kids and what they have achieved.  I am going to show I appreciate them not by licking them in the face but by attending their graduation ceremonies.
You could argue that watching someone stand on a stage with a funny gown and hat on their head is as bizarre as licking someone in the face but that's the way we humans roll!
I really admire what my kids have achieved and am looking forward to the celebrations!

Lesson 15

When lesson 14 got taken down by Facebook I felt frustrated. I felt like just leaving it and then I thought, 'dog's wouldn't do that!'
If a dog wants something to happen they keep on and on and on until they get the thing that they want.
An example of this is a walk. If you are sitting on the sofa relaxing and your dog wants you to go for a walk they will gently but firmly apply emotional pressure on you until you relent and get their lead.
Dogs are absolutely right. If you really want something to happen you need to work at it!
I am learning slowly from my canine coaches!
With this in mind I appealed Facebook's decision to take down my post and 24 hours later I have been allowed to repost it. I am very pleased!

P.S. G and I took our three dogs for a night walk yesterday. As we walked along G told me that he missed little Ollie and being at my caravan site really brought Ollie to mind.
I agree. As we walk along in this wild and wonderful place it is really easy to remember all his antics. This is a good thing though as despite being a very cheeky chappie, Ollie had such a lot to teach us humans. If he wanted something he kept on and on and on until he got what he wanted.
In other words, persistence pays off!