We have often written of lessons taught us by our animal companions. The value of family, the companionship and protection afforded those sharing your space, remembering lost ones and filling the void. It makes us wonder. Are animals the smarter citizens of Earth? Have they figured out life better than us? Do we complicate things? That might be it.
A new lesson learned, one of resilience, by way of one of our furry friends is an apt reminder that the easiest way to a happy life is not found in living in the present. It is found in living in your present.
Like nearly half of America’s households, Michaels’s daughter has a dog. Although she might disagree, her dog is an average dog, medium build, of no discernible breed, and though nearing 9 years old, never completely outgrew the playfulness of puppyhood. In September, he started to limp, favoring his left, front leg. Not much, just enough to make one wonder if he stepped on something. It worsened over the week, eventually raising enough concern to justify a trip to the veterinarian. After a couple visits, some exercise treatments, several blood tests, and X-rays, the diagnosis was made. Cancer - an osteosarcoma of his left shoulder. The treatment, amputation and chemotherapy.
And now, at the time of this writing, a little over a month since that surgery, the former feisty four-legger has taken on the role of spirited, spunky three-legger. His recovery from the surgery and adaptation to his new configuration seems remarkable, nearly miraculous. Or maybe not.
Dogs, like people, usually take a couple of weeks to months to recover from soft tissue surgery, think appendectomy, mostly due to the pain. Orthopedic surgery is a different experience for them. The osteosarcoma eats away at the bone tissue and is extremely painful for the dog. The only way to remove the damaged bone, and thus the pain, is to remove the limb. As drastic as it seems, dogs feel the pain relief in mere hours after the surgery. And most importantly, amputation results in an improved quality of life since they are no longer in pain with each step they take.
Michael’s daughter’s dog is an example of how well they adapt to the loss of a limb - playing, walking, and climbing stairs days after surgery, and resuming his usual multi-mile daily walks within 3 weeks.
Why do animals recover and return to normal activities seemingly so much easier and quicker than humans? Physically we can rebound as quickly as our furred and feathered friends. Our intellect works against us.
Other than remembering where to find food and safe places to rest, animals have no reason to concentrate on the past. Other than to plan where to find the next meal and a comfy place to snooze, animals do not worry about the future. They throw their entire being into the present. The dog with one less limb does not look at himself as less of a dog, missing something, irreparably damaged. He sees himself as a normal, three-legged animal. This is his reality. No sense of loss other than the welcomed loss of physical pain.
The human animal lets his mental and emotional pain override the physical (and often mental) healing process and dwells on the what-ifs and the why-mes. When not considering how things used to be, he is worried about how things will be. Man has lost the ability to live by the adage, the past is over and you cannot change it, the future is not yet here and you cannot predict it, the present is the only time in your life you control.
Humans should envy the mindfulness, presence, and resilience of the animal kingdom. More suitably, humans should learn from the mindfulness, presence, and resilience of the animal kingdom. When we lament the past and fret over the future while we experience the present, we wrap them all into a common existence.
We could instead remember that our present condition or circumstance does not change what we have done. It does not make any of our accomplishments less because we are now “different” than what we were. We can also remember that whatever is to come is as unimaginable as whatever we are today compared to what we thought we would be. Given those more positive thoughts, our past and future can be part of our now without being hinderances to living in our present. The best life we can imagine for ourselves is the one we are living.
Michael’s daughter’s dog not only is an example of how well animals adapt to the loss of a limb, he is also an example of how well all animals, humans included, can adapt to almost any situation. Do not concentrate on the past. Do not worry about the future. Throw your entire being into the present. Maybe that’s why they call it being in the present.
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