Be the person your dog thinks you are.
I’ve never been a dog lover. I’ve made snarky comments about people who talk about their dogs like their children. I’ve changed now. As I write this, Willie, my six-month-old Aussiedoodle, lies at my feet. He’s the one in the picture above. I am surprised that I have been so attached to this dog in the four months we’ve had him. I feel like I’ve adopted a child. We make eye contact, and it feels like we’re doing the Vulcan mind meld. You may recall from Star Trek that the Vulcan mind meld was a telepathic link between two individuals that allowed for an intimate exchange of thoughts. I seem to know what Willie is thinking, and he seems to know what I’m thinking.
I got Willie as a two-month-old puppy because I wanted a dog to walk with. I wasn’t interested in forming a deep emotional bond with a dog. I thought he would motivate me to leave the chair and walk. He did that, but now he has become like an old friend.
Willie doesn’t hold grudges. I lock him in his wire cage when I go to work. I return at the end of the day, and he’s happy to see me. He lives in the present moment, something that’s hard for me. Willie thinks I’m special, and I try to live up to his expectations.
It turns out that the Blue Zones people have done research on older people with dogs and discovered that they can accomplish internationally recognized exercise goals just by walking their dogs.
Researchers matched 43 older adults with dogs to another 43 without dogs and measured their time spent walking. The research found that compared to those without canine companions, dog owners walked on average 22 minutes more a day — enough to meet U.S. and international exercise recommendations for substantial health benefits.
My own experience with Willie has confirmed their conclusion. I’m a certified health coach and know the health benefits of walking. You don’t need to convince me that I should walk daily to stay healthy and alive. Yet, before Willie, I often sat in my chair thinking, scrolling, or watching television, always with good intentions but never following through.
Willie reminds me every day that we need to take a walk. I feel obligated to do it whether or not I feel like it. If I’m feeling so bad that I don’t want to do it for my own health, I feel obligated to do it for Willie’s health. And I always feel better after the walk.
According to Dr. Daniel Simon Mills, a professor of veterinary behavioral medicine at the University of Lincoln in England, dog ownership amongst older people increases physical activity in a meaningful and healthy way. “If you’d like to get a dog, don’t be put off because you’re older,” he said. “It’s good for the dog, and it’s good for you.”