The Peaceable Kingdom

Two dogs, and one valuable lesson.

Over the past two days, our dog Charlie has been sharing space with Dingo, a very large and adorably goofy doodle-variety puppy adopted by son Jake and his wife Jill, who are visiting.

If our house were Sesame Street, Charlie would be Ernie and Dingo would be Big Bird. Charlie selectively enjoys Dingo’s pastimes like chasing balls and eating treats, but when it comes to running pointlessly around the living room, forget it. Instead, Charlie hides out in a white swivel chair ( perfect camouflage, since he’s a small Westie) which he somehow managed to turn to face the backyard. This leaves Dingo to freely roam and flump in the living room, occasionally seeking human attention, because after all, he’s still a baby. Middle-aged Charlie is happy to have attention come to him, or not.

They both can be generous. Each allows the other to sniff his butt. When Jake bought Dingo a new ball which Charlie swiftly co-opted, Dingo wasn’t possessive. For his part, Charlie was fine letting Dingo throttle the plush off his security-blanket soccer ball.

I think their equanimity comes from sharing the same agenda: live and let live. The innocence of Dingo offers no threat to the stodginess of Charlie, and vice-versa.

Most importantly, being dogs, they love unconditionally and live in the moment, creating the exact intersection of radical co-existence. It’s a lovely place to dwell.