Live Your Life Like a Dog
Tamarah Ellen with her two Dogs, Stella and Turk| Self-Portrait
Imagine your life when you choose to live like a dog. Dogs just want to be loved. Dogs love us unconditionally, which is why they are so happy. They find happiness in the smallest of things. They do pick up on our emotions, and they do comfort their owners when we are sick, when we are sad, and when we are happy. They enjoy playing and are very much in the moment when at play. They treat us with welcome paws when we come home, even if we’ve only been gone for a few minutes. I read once that when a dog’s owner comes into the room, they have the same emotions as we do when we fall in love. Imagine that!
Daniel Lim's Jack Russell Terriers, Patton and Ace
Dogs are the most loyal creatures on the planet, even more than people. As humans, we put enormous pressure on people to be perfect or to be how we think they should be. We expect a particular response to our actions; if it is not what we like, we get angry or become hurt. Why is that? Society has become weaker, and the weaker people become, the more demands they put on one another and the more offended they are about everything. Dogs do not pressure us for anything. They just want to live with us, be with us, and protect us. No more, no less, and loyalty is their motto.
David Smith with his senior American Staffordshire Terrier, "Rocky" Photographer: Tamarah Ellen (RIP sweet Rocky)
Be The Dog in Society
These last few years, I’ve witnessed people commenting that they love dogs more than people. With our current society I can understand why. I am a huge dog and animal lover and feel perfectly comfortable around them. It is one time in my life when I can completely be myself without judgment. Judgment is tyranny. Isn’t it great to be yourself? Freedom is being yourself. I think so. Dogs each have their own unique personalities, and I can find comfort with most of them, and people, not so much. We are okay with dogs being different, so can we be okay with people? Today, many people have a unique gift to make us feel quite uncomfortable in this crazy world. Being yourself, however, doesn’t mean we don’t continually work on ourselves. We should always improve. Be the dog in society. Dogs don't judge.
”A Dog Is One Of The Few things In Life That Is Exactly What It Seems.” – Unknown
Bride April Fields with her senior dog, "Lou" at her wedding reception October 2023 | Photographer: Tamarah Ellen
(RIP sweet Lou)
I remember, oh too well, how life was before the internet. I was outdoors all the time unless I was in school. I learned to be creative, healthy and very artistic. The outdoors was my playground and canvas. I didn’t know anyone’s political stance, views, or opinions. I didn't care. I was a kid. Even when I was a young adult, I didn't care about or know people's opinions or views. It is easy to get along with most people when you live in the unknown. Today, you can hardly go to a business without knowing their views and politics. Why does a business even need to make that clear? There is no fool like an old fool; if you make your views known in your business, you will eventually lose that business. We have a lot of fools today. Let’s be clear on the other hand because no matter our views, it should not have anything to do with our business or doing business with others. We have the internet to thank for this disruption, mostly social media. Many people are not even allowed to express their opinions today; in fact, they are silenced. If you are okay with this, then you are a huge part of the division today. That, in and of itself is discrimination, so be careful of claiming to be fair or virtuous when you think this is okay. I thought we were passed discrimination.
Tamarah Ellen's Senior Dog, "Stella" | Photographer Tamarah Ellen
(RIP Sweet Stella)
COHABITATE
Now take a look at dogs. They get along with all shapes and sizes of other dogs and other breeds, big or small, and they learn easily to cohabitate. People can learn from dogs, and other animals as well. They seem to be more civilized than humans. No wonder many of us prefer to be in the company of our pets.
Dogs can cohabitate with horses, cats, donkeys, and cows, and I recently have seen reels where a dog befriended a baby kangaroo, and another befriended and raised a baby raccoon. Dogs are considered man’s best friend for a reason. They have been for centuries. Probably always will be. If I were isolated, I would rather be isolated with my partner and my dogs than certain people. I am not the only one who feels this way. What is up with that? We must work on this! We should learn to cohabitate with people of different types and views.
Kathleen Parker's senior dog, "Dewey" | Photographer: Tamarah Ellen
(RIP sweet Dewey)
Let’s learn to be more like dogs and forgive one another. Find the great things about your day and the great things that are happening for you right now. I heard a speaker the other day say, “There are still a lot of great opportunities in the world right now.” I must agree. What is going to happen, though, is that those of us who focus on our dreams, work on them, and learn to tune out the haters, the politics, and people who don’t respect others will be the ones to see our dreams come true. This is because the ones who cannot tune it out will never be able to focus. When you listen to the news media every waking moment of your life and listen to the lies, gloom, and doom, it isn’t possible to believe, even for a nanosecond, that your dreams will come true. Dogs merely dreams of being loved. They don't care about politics, therefore they are free of worry, and give us unconditional love.
David Smith's American Staffordshire Puppy, "Rambo" at 8 weeks old first day meeting with Turk, Tamarah's senior Shih Tzu
Photographer: Tamarah Ellen
With that said, live your life like a dog. Be happy about the least little things. Greet your partner with joy when they walk in the door. Be playful in the worst of times, laugh out loud, wag your tail, and be grateful you have a home to come home to, a dream to build each day, and remember, if you are a believer, what you can’t do, HE can. Let go and let GOD. That’s my mantra. I haven’t conquered this mantra completely, for I am still human, and a work in progress.
”Happiness Is A Warm Puppy” – Charles M Schultz
David Smith's 8 week old American Staffordshire, "Rambo"
Photographer: Tamarah Ellen
"Dogs Have A Way Of Finding The People Who Need Them, & Filling An Emptiness We Didn’t Ever Know We Had.” – Thom Jones, American Writer
Love your dog, and if you don’t have one, then adopt one. You will learn a lot. You will also have a new best friend. Dog is God spelled backwards. Dogs save lives; dogs were created to be companions; dogs give emotional support and are certified emotional support animals or therapy dogs. Dogs have been proving to add years to someone’s life, so dogs are to be taken seriously as one of God’s greatest gifts to mankind. We can learn from these creatures who give us unconditional love. Get a dog, learn from them and when you are out in the world, think twice before you treat someone with disrespect. What would your dog do? 😉 😉 😊
Love life like a dog! Dogs make us laugh and laughter is the best medicine.
Tamarah Ellen
***Research shows that having a pet can positively affect our health by lowering stress levels, blood pressure, and feelings of isolation. They can also lead to additional chances to meet new people since dog owners often love speaking with other “dog people.” They encourage us to come outside and work out. (www.faithgazette.com/god-dogs)
Tamarah Ellen with her Shih Tzu, "Turk" Self Portrait
"A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than himself."
Josh Billings,
Audrey Grimball and her dog, "Huckleberry" | Photographer: Tamarah Ellen
"Dogs are God's way of saying, "You are not alone." Unknown
Caryl Schmidt's Boston Terrier, "Cody" | Photographer: Tamarah Ellen
“Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole.”
—Roger Caras (photographer and writer)
Tamarah Ellen and her Shih Tzu, "Turk" | Self-Portrait
Dog Trainer, Beth Alexanders 3 Silken Windhounds, Kylee, Nolan and Torren | Photographer: Tamarah Ellen
(RIP Sweet Nolan)
Tamarah's Dogs, Turk and Stella | Photographer: Tamarah Ellen
“Dogs are wise. They crawl away into a quiet corner and lick their wounds and do not rejoin the world until they are whole once more.”—Agatha Christie (author, Death on the Nile
FUN FACT ABOUT DOGS:
The Beatles song ‘A Day in the Life’ has a frequency only dogs can hear
***In an interview in 2013, Paul McCartney said that he added a frequency only dogs can hear to the end of the Beatles song ‘A Day in the Life’. So watch your dog when you play the song! How’s that for an amazing dog fact? www.purina.co.uk/articles/dogs/behaviour/common-questions/amazing-dog-facts
0 Comments