Another indoor today because as much as two inches of rain is due. Out his front window, mariner saw a man walking his dog on a leash down the street. For those who own dogs, it is a large, life-affecting experience. Mariner has sympathy for dogs that live in residential areas – most never get a chance to run and smell and explore like their ancestors and most never meet another dog to talk dog talk and to run and play together.

Mariner and his family have been fortunate over the years to live in rural areas. The family’s dogs were never on a leash except to go to the vet’s office. One of our dogs was so astute that mariner and the dog could go shopping together; the dog heeled without ever being taught to heel. More astounding, the dog sat and waited patiently at the door of stores mariner went into. Mariner was more afraid of the dog being stolen than running off.

Mariner’s experience with all the dogs his family has owned is, if you can take them to a wooded area in a park or on the back side of a farm that is several acres in size, the dog will run off and explore but always keep you within a range. Mariner would play hide and seek with his dog by hiding behind a large tree or shed while the dog was roaming about. Within only a minute or two, the dog began looking for mariner by using a talented smelling nose to find him.

Speculating about the complexity and depth of the dog’s thinking, mariner came to realize that dogs have a genetically embedded awareness of how to be a member of a pack. This natural process gets trampled on by fences, cages, gates, street traffic, insecure humans and leashes. But a dog easily adapts to a human ‘pack’ and tries to behave in an accepted way except that the dog is confronted by all these human contrivances – and perhaps many non-pack behaviors by family members.

It occurred to mariner that it may be a good thing for everyone to have a pet or two around, especially have mammals. Every creature, even giraffes, have to know instinctively how to get along with Mother Nature. Homos have forgotten Mother Nature and run amok like a Mexican drug gang. Perhaps we could learn something good from our fellow non humans.

Ancient Mariner