The Dog Downstairs

My dog’s tied up downstairs and I’ve always wondered what goes through a domestic pet’s mind when it is alone at home or/and when it’s tied up with a leash, which come to think of it, is not much longer than itself. I understand that animals might not be as ‘conscious’ as humans (this is what I’ve heard but do not agree with) but they sure must feel restricted, having been allowed to roam around freely for a large part of the day.

Don’t get me wrong – the dog downstairs is very happy and well looked after, and a clear indicator is how he sleeps at night, flat on his back with his legs extended, as if he doesn’t give a damn about the world. He always welcomes the people of the house with a frantically wagging tail and ends up nibbling at someone’s toes or hands, whichever’s closer (he’s teething, you see). When he’s taken for a walk, he understandably shows an enormous amount of excitement on seeing one of his kind. The sad part is that he’s given less than half a minute to familiarize himself with his fellow-canine before he (or the other dog) is pulled away, which always makes him look up and ask, “why?” (or so I feel). That always makes me think what I’d do and how I’d feel if I were in his situation.

Sometimes, when he just looks at me and moans, I really wish I’d know what he’s thinking but we haven’t come out with a way to read a dog’s mind yet, let alone a human’s. I do admire a dog’s conscience though, there never seems to be any ulterior motive. One can really learn how to love unconditionally from them. On top of all that, they’re quick learners. The dog downstairs has learnt to responds to commands like ‘sit,’ ‘down’ and most recently mastered ‘roll,’ although that might have something to do with the fact that each command is followed by a scrumptious dog biscuit.

Coming back to his thought process, I know he has so many unanswered questions in addition to the squeals, nibbles and barks that we have more or less learnt to comprehend. I’ve always wondered what goes through his mind when he watches us dining or sipping our coffees/teas while he’s tied up. He sees us with those innocent eyes and then looks away and doses off, knowing yelping/barking will be futile (it’s been tried and tested). I just hope he understands that when he’s scolded, it’s only for his good.

You’ve got to love the guy though – he always lends an ear even though he might not understand the tongue and he listens to you intently and responds by licking your face, making you feel like you just had the most meaningful conversation. Well, I’m going to go untie him now and I might just have another chat with him.