How often do you talk to your dog? Every day, obviously! Wherever you are, whether in the kitchen preparing yet another meal, or fuming about lockdown restrictions, relationships and home schooling, or pouring out anxieties about the virus and your loved ones, your faithful dog will always be there to listen and console.
What A Wag!
Dogs have never been more popular. In these dark lockdown days huge numbers of people have acquired a canine companion for the first time, and long-standing dog owners are appreciating their pets more than ever.
If, like me, you are a fan of dogs, this comes as no surprise. You will know just how important our dogs are in our lives and how much we can learn from them. The prologue to my new book of poems, What a Wag! is an acrostic, in which the first letter of each line, when read vertically, spells IN PRAISE OF DOGS.
I wrote my first book of dog poems, Tails You Win, after years of living with dogs, and encountering and observing an astonishing number of different breeds. Dogs come in all shapes and sizes and it occurred to me that it would be fun to write an A to Z of dog breeds, written from the dog’s perspective.
I had to be selective. I wasn’t writing an encyclopedia! But of course, the first thing dog owners do when picking up a copy is go to the contents page and search for ‘their breed’. All dog owners are devoted to their pets and advocates for their particular breed.
‘Why’, one aggrieved friend asked me, ‘did you not include Weimeranas?’.
‘Where’s the Leonberger?’ asked another, who invited me round for tea to see for myself just how special they were!
As for one owner of a Norfolk Terrier, she was outraged that I had favoured a Norwich Terrier over ‘her’ breed.
‘You’ll have to write another book’ she said, crossly. So, I did!
What a Wag! a second A to Z of dogs, is published this week by the Book Guild. By popular demand, it includes these three breeds and many more, like the engaging Kerry Blue, along with new poems about breeds which first appeared in Tails You Win, like the Labrador.
In this second selection dogs talk about themselves in a variety of ways; some simply describe the characteristics of their breed, many talk about their owners, whom they call pets, others talk about their hopes and dreams!
We all have our favourite breeds. I have, over the years, lived with Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, Dachshunds, Cairn Terriers and Labradors. All very different in appearance and characteristics, but all sharing priceless qualities.
How many of us have faithful companions to whom we speak every day and who, by their very presence, bring solace and, I would maintain, wisdom? Dogs have so much to teach us about loyalty, devotion and unconditional love.
I read the other day about a young dog who went every day to the hospital where his owner was seriously ill and sat outside all day, just being there. I feel sure that he will have been sending distant healing to his owner.
This sort of love is pretty hard to find in the human race. No wonder some of us are mad about our canines! They may not be able to talk but my goodness dogs know how to exude love, as I say in the postscript to What a Wag!:
I am so very much more than a pet.
I am your confidant. I know your soul.
You’ll never shock me, for I never judge.
I am a healer. I help make you whole.
When life’s dealing blows that are crushing,
I give you comfort and soothe your frayed nerves.
My paw on your foot is showing you love.
Surely, such love each human deserves.
What A Wag! will be published by The Book Guild on the 28th January. Copies are available from all good bookshops and retailers.
RELATED: Gill Rowe shares the inspiration behind her new book Tails You Win
Dogs never cease to amaze; Rupert, my Ruby Cavalier, was particularly intelligent. One day, when I was on the floor doing an Alexander Technique exercise, he observed me, came across, put his paw on my chest, his head on one side, and ‘listened’. A short while afterwards, apparently reassured, ‘Dr’ Rupert returned to his basket and went to sleep! And, of course, dogs’ ESP is legendary; mine knew when I would be home at least ten minutes before I was anywhere near the house... to read more click HERE
