by Douglas Robinsonezine20090701_reggieI live in close companionship with two wonderful dogs – well, a dog and a bitch to be absolutely correct – but somehow I have never become overly fond of this formal species terminology. Reggie is my three and a half year old Labrador dog guide whom I met twenty-one months ago at Guide Dogs for the Blind. Koda is his nine month old Lab/border-collie mix neighbor, his constant playmate and frequent visitor.

Reggie is an old soul by nature. He can be found either working or playing hard, or sound asleep beside me as he is now. He is a high energy dog “with an off switch,” as his trainer fondly described him. Koda, on the other hand, has no off switch. She is perpetual energy from the get go.

Reggie is patient and kind by nature. He growls ferociously in play as though he would tear out his playmate’s throat, but he is in reality as gentle as a lamb. For Koda: ears, tail, or anything else she can grab – I leave this to your imagination – is all fair in love and game. How Reggie puts up with it without complaint I’ll never know.

I’ve only seen Reggie jealous once, and that was when he and Koda first met. Koda came over for baby-sitting when only a small puppy. She proceeded to employ her innate border-collie skills to herd Reggie around the house, and needless to say he was none too pleased. He came over to me immediately when she left, but when I reached out my hand he immediately ran off to the opposite corner of the room and planted himself solidly with his back to me, facing the wall. He stayed there unmoving for a solid ten minutes before deciding his statement was made.

Reggie plays in short spurts, never losing his dignity and always portraying his role as the mature male. Koda plays forever whether anyone else is there or not. One of our most beautiful moments occurred recently when my partner and I were dog sitting for her. Ruth looked out of her upstairs office window to see Koda running in circles all by herself on the back lawn, totally content. She continues to do this often, running for the sheer joy of running whether or not anyone is there to watch.

Reggie never gallops with such beautiful line. His run is a breathless dash of all out mocking aggression. He is coiled up energy when he runs, tail tucked under, body just off the ground, hind legs extending forward nearly to his head as he darts, turns and speeds with ultimate power. Reggie is only a sixty-pound lab, but he has crashed into me and knocked me over more than once during our frequent games of “football.” There’s no ball usually, but Reggie is ever a linebacker.

Even with their different natures, these marvelous friends are ever respectful and loving to each other and to their human companions. Their trust in their human pack leaders is absolute. They are respectful in every way to the homes they visit and inhabit. They are fully committed to the moment in every respect, providing an indelible lesson in the art of living “in the now.”

In harness, Reggie guards my life as well as his own without apparent fear or aggression. He stands quiet and unperturbed as long as possible when bothered by other dogs, never escalating the encounter. He is vigilant with moving and stationary obstacles, responding calmly to unexpected traffic and moving skillfully around sidewalk clutter. He even learned to warn me of sidewalk ice patches during his first experience of our long Montana winter.

Koda now races beside her mistress as Mary rides her bike, as much to exercise Koda as herself. Koda also accompanies Mary to work at a nearby plant where she prepares Philippine heirloom rice for sale in gourmet restaurants and shops across the country, just as Reggie accompanies me to work each day in his assigned dog guide role.

Reggie’s one questionable advantage is visiting restaurants, though I suspect this is usually boring for him as he is forbidden to “hoover” and restaurants are usually noisy places with little room under crowded tables. Department meetings have to be even worse, as they are usually all day affairs held in stuffy rooms. At least he can avoid listening to the talk, though sometimes I confess we both fall asleep.

Each dog’s single minded purpose is never so evident as at meal times. These joyous occasions provide the prime moments of the day for both Koda and Reggie. Above all breeds the Lab lives to eat, and the Lab in Koda definitely comes to the fore where food is concerned. As eager as they are, however, each dog will await permission before diving in, and neither attempts to steal from the other. I am always amazed at this for I know the temptation is great. Reggie could easily overpower Koda, while she in turn is too quick for Reggie if he is ever distracted.

As I continue to experience life with these two wonderful friends my feeling grows that if we humans could live as well and faithfully on our level as they do on theirs our world would be a much improved place. They are as fully loving as their capacity allows. They are always sensitive to the feelings of their human companions and to each other. While obviously desiring happiness for themselves, their chief focus is the wellbeing of their human companions.

Being closest to Reggie I can unequivocally say that he is more evolved as a dog than I am as a human. I learn so much each day from these wonderful teachers and I am fortunate indeed to have them both with me as guides.

About the Author:
In addition to writing, Douglas Robinson serves as vision rehabilitation counselor in Great Falls Montana. He and his partner Ruth produce a newsletter entitled “Conscious Awakenings” which you can find at: http://community.icontact.com/p/consciousawakenings Find Doug’s writing at: http://dbrsinger.blogspot.com and at: http://dbrsinger.wordpress.com. Something about these titles may lead you to believe that Douglas Robinson is also a singer. Indeed, he sang professionally as an opera, concert and recital singer for twenty years before devoting himself exclusively to writing and counseling.


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