Sam! This just blows me away! There have been some videos in the last 20 year wars, of a dog laying at the foot of the casket of a fallen warrior, or being part of the mourning at a church service, their devotion to their brother or sister in arms laid bare. It is beyond moving.
And when did this start? At some point in our prehistoric past a cave man found fire, and saw a lone wolf, the wolf lingered on the lit edges of the fire, but there was warmth and perchance food; the wolf for some reason put its predatory instincts aside and somehow the bond was established. Perhaps that is why the connection runs so deep and true. That’s why when we see one of the small designer poodle’s in the lap of a sophisticated French matron at a fancy bistro in Paris there is room for a laugh. “Dear lady, you do realize deep in the DNA of that pocketbook sized poodle lies the brain and heart of a wolf that properly engerized would just as soon eat you as look at you!?” But, carry on!
Again Sam, I don’t know where in the your Frogman DNA your writings come from, but they are so good, so thoughtful and give so much for pause. Keep them coming. The line between crazy and sane is thin, your posts remind us of this thin line, and make it possible to stay on the sane side, even if only temporarily!
Thank you for your feedback, Charles, it means a lot. Sometimes I go down rabbit holes that keep me in a state of awe but I am never sure how readers will take them, or if I succeeded in putting words to them in a way that resonates with the reader. I've learned this is one of the joys of writing.
Yes! There is a back story to Boatswain. Lord Byron stayed with him as Boatswain died from rabies. Apparently when Boatswain contracted rabies, Byron tended to the dog without being bitten or infected. Byron wiped away Boatswain’s saliva and cared for him through the illness until the dog’s death. This was before there was a rabies vaccine.
Alas, I may have. I printed this poem out after you recommended it at an earlier date. The man had a gift with words I could only ever hope to aspire to. The welcome irony is that Boatswain, his dog, was probably just like every other dog—he just knew how to put words to it.
I see that you too are a Landseer fan! I've written a little bit about the human dog relationship, especially as depicted in art. Here's an example of an analysis I did of a different Edwin Landseer painting.
My naughty Anatolian, Cyclone, approves this message as he digs around in the milkbone box and corrupts the other 4 pups with hijacked treats. When we get a bit older and not as likely to outlive our pets, we'll go to fostering the rescues on God's right hand.
Seriously, I teared up a bit on this one! Beautifully written and rings so true for me. I honestly think that befriending dogs is one of the best things that humans have ever done. My dog has taught me more lessons on being present, non-judgemental, curious and loving than any other practices I have done.
Also witnessing dog grief, so heartbreaking. My dog gets sad whenever a house guest she loves leaves and it makes me feel sad too!
We lost our Malinois just over a year ago. He was a constant source of grounding, and a daily reminder of the kind of loyalty and presence this piece articulates so well.
My wife and I don’t plan to get another dog until we’ve set down roots somewhere, but until then, I’ll gladly live vicariously through your canine-inspired posts.
I really appreciate it, Shane, and I feel for your loss. I dread knowing it will happen with Carson at some point, and how great an injustice it seems that beings so flawless, so pure should die. It only enhances how much we care for him as I'm sure it did for you.
"The point is we all have a bit of Napoleonic ambition within us."
You nailed it with that one, Sam. We all have a bit of the psychopath in us, treating living beings as dumb things for our use. Our dogs are the pure embodiment of the better angels of our nature, and their beauty can break open even the most frozen heart.
Thanks for this tribute to Carson and all our carsons. 👏
You are very welcome. At some point I want to do an essay on how dogs reveal how psychopathic we all are at varying levels—some too much love and too little—though I'm afraid it might become a bit dark... it is fun to think about at any rate.
Here's an experiment: put your wife and your dog in the trunk of your car for a couple of hours, then open it up and let them out. Whichever one is happy to see you says it all.
One of my favorite bumper stickers, and a goal worthy of aspiration: “I strive to be the person my dog thinks I am”.
This is not a bad way to live a life.
That was beautiful, Sam.
Thank you, Shaunak.
Sam! This just blows me away! There have been some videos in the last 20 year wars, of a dog laying at the foot of the casket of a fallen warrior, or being part of the mourning at a church service, their devotion to their brother or sister in arms laid bare. It is beyond moving.
And when did this start? At some point in our prehistoric past a cave man found fire, and saw a lone wolf, the wolf lingered on the lit edges of the fire, but there was warmth and perchance food; the wolf for some reason put its predatory instincts aside and somehow the bond was established. Perhaps that is why the connection runs so deep and true. That’s why when we see one of the small designer poodle’s in the lap of a sophisticated French matron at a fancy bistro in Paris there is room for a laugh. “Dear lady, you do realize deep in the DNA of that pocketbook sized poodle lies the brain and heart of a wolf that properly engerized would just as soon eat you as look at you!?” But, carry on!
Again Sam, I don’t know where in the your Frogman DNA your writings come from, but they are so good, so thoughtful and give so much for pause. Keep them coming. The line between crazy and sane is thin, your posts remind us of this thin line, and make it possible to stay on the sane side, even if only temporarily!
I don't usually drop links to older essays in the comments, but your point about the evolutionary origin of wolf and man is something I wrote about before: https://www.whatthen.org/p/how-dogs-make-us-ancient-again
Thank you for your feedback, Charles, it means a lot. Sometimes I go down rabbit holes that keep me in a state of awe but I am never sure how readers will take them, or if I succeeded in putting words to them in a way that resonates with the reader. I've learned this is one of the joys of writing.
Thanks for your good sketch of the probable evolutionary bonding of canis lupus and homo sapiens, Charles. It is a beautiful win-win story!
Well written Sam, though you may give too much credit to Man. From Lord Byron, “ one
who possessed Beauty without Vanity, Strength without Insolence, Courage without Ferosity, and all the virtues of Man without his Vices.”
Yes! There is a back story to Boatswain. Lord Byron stayed with him as Boatswain died from rabies. Apparently when Boatswain contracted rabies, Byron tended to the dog without being bitten or infected. Byron wiped away Boatswain’s saliva and cared for him through the illness until the dog’s death. This was before there was a rabies vaccine.
I think I would get along well with Lord Byron.
Alas, I may have. I printed this poem out after you recommended it at an earlier date. The man had a gift with words I could only ever hope to aspire to. The welcome irony is that Boatswain, his dog, was probably just like every other dog—he just knew how to put words to it.
"If you allow your ambition to betray your devotion to others then you are corrupt. "
Amen.
They lay down the law, that is for sure.
A most beautiful paeon to the canine soul. I needed that. Thank you.
You’re very welcome, Katy. I’m grateful you enjoyed it.
I see that you too are a Landseer fan! I've written a little bit about the human dog relationship, especially as depicted in art. Here's an example of an analysis I did of a different Edwin Landseer painting.
https://open.substack.com/pub/kwfitzpatrick/p/the-best-dog-painting-ever?r=5dyl97&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false
My naughty Anatolian, Cyclone, approves this message as he digs around in the milkbone box and corrupts the other 4 pups with hijacked treats. When we get a bit older and not as likely to outlive our pets, we'll go to fostering the rescues on God's right hand.
This is true devotion. Cyclone is a lucky four legged monster, as are all your pups. Thank you for sharing.
Seriously, I teared up a bit on this one! Beautifully written and rings so true for me. I honestly think that befriending dogs is one of the best things that humans have ever done. My dog has taught me more lessons on being present, non-judgemental, curious and loving than any other practices I have done.
Also witnessing dog grief, so heartbreaking. My dog gets sad whenever a house guest she loves leaves and it makes me feel sad too!
Beautifully put, Genevieve. Haha your point about leaving the house is to true—what a sign of love.
My favorite dog piece of yours yet. Didn’t know that about napoleon. Powerful stuff as always 👊🏻
Thank you, Kyle.
What a good looking cover model for this essay!
He knows it...
Stellar as always, Sam.
We lost our Malinois just over a year ago. He was a constant source of grounding, and a daily reminder of the kind of loyalty and presence this piece articulates so well.
My wife and I don’t plan to get another dog until we’ve set down roots somewhere, but until then, I’ll gladly live vicariously through your canine-inspired posts.
I really appreciate it, Shane, and I feel for your loss. I dread knowing it will happen with Carson at some point, and how great an injustice it seems that beings so flawless, so pure should die. It only enhances how much we care for him as I'm sure it did for you.
Few things in recent memory have impacted me like training our new pup. Presence, kindness, patience, and an acceptance of what is.
Thanks, Sam.
Beautifully said, and thank you. Enjoy the ride, Tim.
"The point is we all have a bit of Napoleonic ambition within us."
You nailed it with that one, Sam. We all have a bit of the psychopath in us, treating living beings as dumb things for our use. Our dogs are the pure embodiment of the better angels of our nature, and their beauty can break open even the most frozen heart.
Thanks for this tribute to Carson and all our carsons. 👏
You are very welcome. At some point I want to do an essay on how dogs reveal how psychopathic we all are at varying levels—some too much love and too little—though I'm afraid it might become a bit dark... it is fun to think about at any rate.
They have equipped us since the earliest fires…I truly believe they were crucial to our later evolutionary success.
I could not agree more. We are not human without the dog, nor is the dog a dog without the human. We are now fated.
Great read!
Here's an experiment: put your wife and your dog in the trunk of your car for a couple of hours, then open it up and let them out. Whichever one is happy to see you says it all.
Well... you're not wrong.