Written by Kev
My brother, Bodhi, is smaller than me. Despite that, he maintains a dignified
power that reaches well beyond what I think his small body should be capable
of (big brothers know these things!)
When he was a puppy he would carry Fatso, the life-sized stuffed wombat,
around in his mouth – even all the way out to the back yard when no one was
looking – until one-day Fatso turned into snow (It seems inevitable that at
some point all stuffed toys spontaneously erupt into snow and disappear).
Bodhi has such strong determination that he will use all his physical and
mental strength to override background pain from the injury he had when he
was a wee pup so as to not miss out on ANYTHING. The FOMO is strong in this
one!
So I do wonder if, in his case, using strength in its traditional definition of “the
ability to withstand great force or pressure” may not actually be in his best
interest.
I, on the other paw, am the wise-one in the family and even though I’m the
bigger dog, I use many other strengths to get exactly what my inner wisdom
tells me I need. I’ve even been told that I have very strong will… I choose to
take this as a compliment of course.
Recognising my needs and boundaries, and communicating them with great
persistence, are definitely some of my strengths. For example, every afternoon
from 3pm on the dot I will hassle my human to take me for a walk. Even
though I get walked closer to 6pm, and have probably never even been walked
at 3pm before, I will continue to persist in hope that one day they will cave
and meet my demands. After said walk, the campaign for dinner begins and
doesn’t stop until I get what I rightfully deserve.
Strangely my humans don’t seem to find this strength so endearing.
When getting what you want from humans, you will need more than just
persistence and will though, you will also need a strong communication
game. Here are a few pointers for next level communication. Jumping up on
the human’s lap and computer is a great way to start the conversation, then
staring deeply into their eyes is often effective at getting the message across.
If I’m still not getting what I want, a gentle ‘boof’ to the face with my paw
is sure to get a response of some sort. When the human is being particularly
insensitive they may need specific instruction in which case I sniff around the
food bin or ‘boof’ my food bowl with my paw to make a racket. That usually
does the trick.
As you can see, strength comes in more forms than one. My little brother,
Bodhi takes these things very literally, and I, on the other hand choose a more
cerebral interpretation. There are many ways to show strength and to use your
many and varied strengths – and it takes wisdom to know when to use each
one.
Stay wise fur-ends,
Kevvie.