To sleep by the dog

"Dogs are our link to paradise. They do not know evil, or jealousy or discontent. To sit with a dog on a hillside on a glorious afternoon is to be back in Eden, where doing nothing was not boring - it was peace."

- Milan Kundera the Czech Republic's most recognised living writer. Of Czech origin, he has lived in exile in France since 1975.

If Eden is peace, and to be at peace is to be in paradise: in a world full of partiality and patronage, I have no doubt that even paradise goes by favour, and not merit.

That goes for this land of paradise as well. Modern world rarely lets you be at peace, even if you renounce everything and chose to lead a life seeking peace within. At best, it lets you live in question.

That applies whether you are four legged or two legged. However, it is also true that the four-legged species of dogs has always stood a better chance of ascending to heaven, than his two-legged counterpart from the human species.

I know of many from the human species who tried all their life to be a good person, and many a times they failed. For after all, they were only human and not dogs. However, to revert to the topic at hand, when one sleeps by the dog, one need not doubt that he will wake up with fleas that the dog may have. There is in fact, an Italian proverb: "those who sleep with dogs will rise with fleas" and when applied to the two-legged variety of the species, it implies to beware of whom you associate. You should be cautious of the company you keep. Associating with those of low or bad reputation may not only lower your own, but also lead you astray by the faulty assumptions, premises, and data of the unscrupulous.

Thus, if you do not know the pedigree of the dog, it is always best to let sleeping dogs lie and refrain from action that would alter an existing situation, or cause greater problems or complexities. That said, the Book of Proverbs (26:17) says, "He that passes by, and meddles with strife belonging not to him, is like one that takes a dog by the ears." Hence, the saying "let sleeping dogs lie" has its roots in the Christian Bible.

Reverting to the four-legged variety: the dog has endeared itself to such an extent with humans that some people, acceptably more in the Western than in the Eastern parts of the world, permit the dog to occupy even their bedroom and let it sleep by them.

This situation of course becomes more common in the East, only when the species we sleep with is human. However, that is an altogether different topic.

In the Western part of the world, there are many stories of marriages placed in jeopardy because the family pet has assumed the role as leader of the pack and dominates the bedroom as well.

It is true and there is scientific evidence to suggest that sharing your life with a pet will increase your years. One must have lost the art of attachment with humans and humanity, to be bonding only with their pet and sharing a cuddle at night. Of course, when one reflects on the state to which the values of humans and humanity has descended to, perhaps it is no wonder that humans have chosen the dog as their superior companion.

There is also evidence to suggest that even in sleep, brains subconsciously interact and the peaceful waves emitted by your loved pet can influence your brain for the good. However, Cesar Millan - the Dog Whisperer - says, "You may prefer to have your dog sleep in bed with you. It is perfectly natural for a dog to sleep with other pack members; and it is a powerful way of bonding with your dog. But don't forget the rules, boundaries, and limitations; it's your bed, and not your dog's."

A dog whisperer is a person who has, or claims to have, a natural ability to relate to or connect with dogs.

They are, brought in to handle aggressive and badly behaved dogs. I wonder whether we in Sri Lanka could do with someone like that to train our two-legged variety of, badly behaving humans.

When people hear the term "dog whisperer," they see it as something different than, being a dog trainer.

The term derives from "horse whisperer," meaning someone who can train horses by using methods that include trying to understand and empathise with the horse's motives, needs, and desires.

In other words, understanding the reasons behind an animal's behaviour and employing modern equine psychology.

Horse whisperers came into the public eye through the movie of the same name directed by Robert Redford.

Here is what I think on the subject of letting your dog sleep by you: a lot depends on the dog and the human. If you have a healthy, working relationship with your dog based on mutual trust and respect and you do not mind waking up with a dog's tail in your face or paws braced against your back, by all means, sleep with your well-adjusted dog - under the covers if you want! However, dogs are fast learners and soon enough they, like many humans to whom you render assistance, develop the mistaken impression that the bed is a right, not a privilege.

A bossy dog, who thinks it is his bed and he is sharing his space with you, might also think he has the right to correct you for bumping his highness in the bed, with dire consequences.

If your dog thinks he runs your house, get professional help for that issue. However, I wonder what kind of professional help we can get, for humans who think they run everyone else's affairs?

Dogs have bonded with humans for well over ten thousand years. As a result, they have influenced many a formal and informal idioms and sayings that have entered all languages, including English.

For instance, when we say: this neighbourhood is "going to the dogs," it is an informal way of saying that it is degenerating, morally or physically, or both; but it puzzles me no end because when I find humans have deteriorated faster than dogs, how is it possible to say so. Some "lead a dog's life," and it means to have an unhappy or harassed existence.

To "put on the dog" is an informal way of saying: to assume an attitude of wealth or importance; put on airs, which is common with all who suffer from an inferiority complex; and I get the feeling that many of us do. Every dog owner knows that their dog has a lot to say, and that they are not afraid to say it. Just because dogs do not naturally speak, it does not stop pet owners from having conversations with them. However, we do wish that sometimes we could actually hear what our dog has to say; because, if animals could speak, the dog would be a blundering outspoken fellow, unlike his human counterpart who is full of guile and conceit.

Of course, the outcome if the dog speaks, will be that the dog will be banished from the household.

They possess not the cunning of the humans who even if they do not lie, indulge in creative truth telling; and doing harm disguised as help: for cunning grows in deceit at seeing itself discovered, and tries to deceive with truth itself.

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