Know Your Dog’s True Nature - The Happy Wagging Tail

      

By Elizabeth Anne Johnson

Who doesn’t love a happy, wagging tail? Animal behaviorists have long since gathered all the clues of tail height, sweep range, and speed that can determine the nuances and meanings of numerous different tail wags, including my favorite—happy wagging. Can’t you just feel the beautiful energy of happy when your pup is happy wagging? Doesn’t it fill you up with a full-bodied smile? I’ve watched stone-faced people soften and break into the most beautiful smile when a happy wagging dog tail says hello. I’ve spent my whole life trying to make that happen. My own efforts pale compared to my dog’s successes!   Truth be told, I’ve learned from my dogs how to be vicariously happy and wag my tail when I see a dear friend, or something that touches my heart or makes me laugh. And of course, I always give a happy wag when I see a happy wagging dog!   I like to think of happy wagging as a sign of connection, a deep, heart-opening connection that floats gratitude all around you like a gentle mist on a hot day. The kind that fills your whole body with an utterly complete smile. To me, happy wagging is a metaphor for a peaceful, meaningful existence, one that brings happiness and joy to the little things in life. A wag here, a wag there, look at all the beautiful energy we can toss out into the wind to blow seeds that flower and create more smiles. It truly can be contagious! We are in a refreshing new era of honoring the silent connections we have with our incredible dogs and all sentient beings here on Earth. Noticing the complexities of the interweaving of their lives with ours gives us a drive to learn more and to create space in our hearts to share, advocate, and support their evolution and each being’s genuine expression.   Everyone and everything has a purpose, a reason for being. Bees have the amazing job of pollinating plants and making yummy honey in the process. Birds scatter seeds for new growth while giving us beauty and joyful songs. Dogs give us loyalty, laughter, companionship, and, if we are listening, teach us about life. How can we be the best expression of ourselves as humans to accomplish what these beings can? How can we open our eyes and hearts to truly see who other beings are, and create a beautiful bubble of understanding that enfolds our relationships? How can we learn from the many, many teachings of all these amazing beings here on earth?   We can widen our view, quiet our minds, and open our hearts to find genuine empathy and awe for every creature, large and small. Like the many great masters before us, we can accept others and their place in the world. We can be a steward for their growth and a vibrant torch for their well-being. We can daily embrace their wisdom to find the best versions of ourselves and others.   This understanding, compassion, and empathy can be a panacea for our inner selves and our relationships. Animals feel all our vibrations. The tiniest beings, even bugs and plants, and certainly our dogs, can be affected by our inner thoughts and feelings. The more awareness and kindness we project, the more we see and feel kindness.   Dogs are ambassadors for the many other species of this world. They were brave enough many centuries ago to step up and be part of our human lives. I envision that the first humans who accepted dogs as companions felt that happy wagging smile surround them and deeply touch their own wild hearts. I am certain it was an odd feeling but a good one, which has managed to endure and expand for centuries. Dogs have endured and thrived beside us, as we have beside them. For dogs it is a very long story of leaving the wild behind and moving towards domestication. But the species accomplished it. Now it is time for us to return back to the wild that we once knew and honored. The wild of our hearts.   A dog’s medicine is trust, loyalty, reflection, protection, family, honor, and integrity. These are all solid values that also live in the uncharted wilds of our human hearts. Dogs ask us to explore these values within ourselves and walk a good road with each step we take. They are truly our teachers, even when we think we are teaching them.   When we look at the interactive personalities of our dogs and ourselves, our different or similar wants and needs, we can finally understand the unique dynamics that brought us together so many moons ago. Dogs and humans have always shared an innate drive for companionship and family, as well as the need for support and guidance, and if we humans pay attention, we also share our high sensitivity levels for others, for our own health and well-being, and even sometimes for danger.   We can also see the richness, joy, and supportive structures in our combined relationships. This understanding can soften our judgements, stimulate acceptance for who we both are, and create a gentle harmony between us.   Understanding can truly make the world a better place, as our peaceful home vibrations reach out and stretch like the sun to create a kinder, gentler world. Every piece of awareness, acceptance, and clarity fills not only our life but energetically radiates out into the world, making life just a little bit better and a little bit brighter. We finally see the background behind the curtain and it’s not nearly as scary as we thought it was. It holds whimsy, hope, and potential.   It holds a happy wagging tail.     Author Bio: Elizabeth Anne Johnson has been working with the health and wellness of small, large, and exotic animals, and wildlife for 35 years as a veterinary technician, animal healer, and wildlife biologist and rehabilitator. She is the author of Know Your Dog’s True Nature and vice-president of Global Wildlife Resources, a TEDx Speaker, mentor, adventurer, and loving partner of Wilbur and Pretzel, rescues extraordinaire!   https://ElizabethAnneJohnson.com