Dog people are different from other people. Dog love is different from other love.

Dogs give themselves to us in a way that no human being really can. They live to love, eat and get some attention.

They become absorbed into our lives in a way that even children can’t.

I saw this morning when I sat in the living room chair to meditate and heal from a wicked panic attack that struck in the night.

First, the dogs clearly understood that I was upset, and all three gathered around me.

When I sat in my chair, all three settled in their beds and resting places. Bud jumped into my lap, Zinnia lay down a few feet from me, and the usually hyper Fate curled up in her bed next to the fish tank.

Dogs have shared my life and my ups and downs for as long as I can remember.

Bud put his head in my lap and just stared at me. I don’t ever claim to know what dogs think since they don’t think as we do – they have no spoken language – but I know they sense our moods and emotions.

Bud seemed to be saying in his way simply, “it’s okay; you’ll be fine.” Zinnia had hopped up on the stool to shower me with kisses and then lay down at my feet, her way of showing affection.

Fate shows affection by being nearby.

I had this sensation that I was swimming in a sea of dogs; they were all around me, somehow sharing the anxiety that struck me from time to time.

I decided to let them help me heal and open myself to it.

Curiously, I felt better immediately. Dogs have defined my life, marked my life’s passages, comforted and supported me, and kept me from loneliness and, sometimes, despair.

They have also taught me much about acceptance and generosity of spirit.

When Maria came into the room to light the morning fire, Bud jumped off of my lap and went to join her. He loves his wood stove fires and likes to be present when they are lit. Dogs are all around me.

My anxiety was gone; I was eager to get to work, do some chores, talked to some people needing Dog Support. (If you need Dog Support, my e-mail is [email protected].)

I made a note in my head to be sure to be grateful for what I have and not worried about what I don’t have. That’s what life in the now is really about.