Dogs Don't Bite When a Growl Will Do

Today's reading is from Matt and Luke's Dogs Don't Bite When a Growl Will Do: What Your Dog Can Teach You About Living a Happy Life: "What's important to them [dogs] is that there is fun happening, and that they are having as much fun as we are. They are happy to sacrifice their dignity so that everyone can have a good time. If dogs were comedians, then taking a pie in the face would be their best routine. 'Anything for fun' is their motto."

This is a taste of the sweet wisdom of dogs, as collected and interpreted by Matt Weinstein and Luke Barber. Matt, I am tail-waggingly happy to say, is a long time friend of mine. He and I started Playfair, which evolved into a kind of gift of play for new college students. "With today's concerns of retention," the Playfair site explains, "multi-cultural awareness, and non-alcoholic programming, Playfair is more than just a non-threatening way for your new students to meet each other – Playfair is a powerful program for campus unity and school spirit." Luke Barber is a professor of philosophy and occasional correespondent in the Deep Fun community board.

Together, they have written a book that makes you love your dog, and your life, all over again.

Today's parting reading, Matt and Luke, lesson 39: "Dogs don't make a distinction between work and play. Everything is fun to them, an d every situation is a new one, full of infinite possibilities for joy and connection. We humans surely would be more successful in our jobs if we approached our work with the enthusiasm, dedication, sensitivity, and the wonderful attitude towards life in general of a good working dog."