Finding myself caught up with some menial tasks far longer than expected this morning, I was almost late for my Open House at 911 S. Illinois this afternoon. I’m still amazed at how some buyers will dismiss a home simply because of the color of the paint on the walls as well as the somewhat dated furnishings. That home should have been sold months ago based on the price, quality of construction, and location. People are either getting lazy, becoming visionless, or both. I said to someone today, some buyers would rather pay $20,000 more for a property simply because they don’t have to paint and decorate. That’s really sad don’t you think? Personally, I’d rather purchase something at a discount so I can make all the color and decorating changes I want rather than living with something someone else has chosen.
I was reading something very touching today about dogs and their masters. The author of the book explained why dogs are so happy to see their owners return home and are filled anxiety when they leave. Dogs have primitive minds and consider their master the head of the pack and venturing out of their zones of comfort, dogs consider them to be going out in the scary and vicious animal world to find food. Dogs know that seeing their master leave could be the last time they see them due to a possibility of the head of the pack not returning because he was killed by a bigger and more ferocious animal. So when the master returns, the dog is overjoyed that it made it back alive and with food. Have you noticed how dogs always look to see if you’ve brought them food? It’s almost as though they expect it. I guess the primitive brain of the dog is still saying, “Where’s my portion of the kill you managed to get today, or did you eat it on the way home?” Just those few short paragraphs about the psychological relationship of dogs and their masters has given me more insight as to why dogs do what they do. I suppose that’s why every dog has their favorite in a family. They must pick one as the head of the pack and interact with that person accordingly. I’m not letting the humans off so quickly either because of this tribal or pack mentality we find even in todays world. Heads of companies are the leaders of the pack. Associations and clubs are also where people gather and interact with their contemporaries and still maintain a pecking order. The military is definitely a regimented community where there are defined pecking orders and distinct boundaries. So now we have the answer why dogs are considered the best friends of humans—they’re very much alike! Yet another example of like attracting like.
So the next time your dog is watching you eat something just consider him thinking this possible thought, “Well, oh great master of the pack, I’ve been really good and obedient all day and you leave me standing here waiting for you to throw me my bone and tomorrow I promise to go out and find something dead I’ll share with you. OK?”
With the official day of Summer just around the corner, I’ve been noticing some of the summer flowers starting to bloom. There are some of the perennials that I can’t wait to see simply because of their vibrant beauty. The photo above is one of the first. Don’t you think it’s worthy of a place on June’s page of a flower calendar? Another beautiful North Iowa day coming quickly to a close.
