One of the happier outcomes of COVID lockdowns in Melbourne is my discovery of exercising in public parks. The fresh air and the sun (when it’s out) is a very happy opiate against being stuck at home each day.
For variety, I exercise in a number of different parks (all within the designated distance radius from my home, of course). While the parks are different, everywhere I go there is at least one human exercising his or her dog. I could watch dogs playing in the park all day, and I am surprised how much joy it brings me.
In the larger parks, one of the main exercise activities between human and dog is fetching the ball. For the uninitiated, this involves the human picking up and throwing a ball (usually with the assistance of a special dog-ball-picking-up-and-throwing stick) and the dog hurtling single-mindedly, and great speed, to chase the ball and return it to the human, who then repeats the process of picking up and throwing the ball. I particularly like watching those dogs with fantastic jaw-eye coordination who can pick up the ball in their mouths without breaking stride. Depending on the age and size of the dog, and the level of dedication and patience of the human, this process is repeated again and again for up to 30 minutes.
From my observation, there are appears to be four categories of dog.
The first I will call the simple accommodating dog. This category is happy to be part of the process, and therefore chases, and returns the ball to the human, until the human gets tired of it, or decides he or she wants a coffee or other refreshment, and/or to otherwise return to home detention. The whole process is goal-orientation and fulfilment personified. There is happy harmoniousness to this category of dog and owner: the owner gets out in the fresh air, can zone out and return home satisfied, which also pretty much sums up the dog’s experience as well – plus the prospect of a nice long lie down and sleep (with the prospect of a snack) when they both get home.
As much as I like watching the simple accommodating dog, I feel a sense of melancholy as well, as this process seems to rather represent my working life up until now.
The second I like to call the ‘somewhat invested’ dog. The somewhat invested dog starts out just like the simple accommodating dog: chasing, fetching and returning the ball, until at some point, it commitment to the process waivers. At that point, it might chase and fetch the ball, but not return it, or perhaps return it only part of the way, and then go off and do something else: following an enticing or interesting scent, sneak a pat from a stranger, or just generally run around. This dog appears to say to its human ‘I will play your game, provided that I may also pursue other interests. If you are OK with that, you can continue to throw the ball: I might chase it, but then again I might not.‘
This is not a hint of defiance, or some kind of dog version of ‘I am happy to sleep with you, provided I get to see other people as well‘. This dog still knows that its human has the warm house, comfy bed and food for it to eat. It is simply reminding its human that there is more to me than just chasing, fetching and returning a ball. I think we all feel that way sometimes.
Then, there is the ‘smart dog’. The smart dog starts the standard chase/fetch/return game, but at some point, changes the rules. This dog chases the ball, but then sits down or crouches at the location at which it has acquired the thrown ball, and waits, usually with its tail wagging, for the human to come to it. The smart dog might also add a further variation, such that when the human gets close to retrieving the ball from the dog, the dog runs off, ball in mouth.
This dog appears to see or perceive that there are other possibilities and outcomes in the chase/fetch/return game, which possibilities might include the human doing some chasing and fetching as well. Maybe it’s just that the dog knows that it is training the human rather than the other way around.
I admire the smart dog, as he or she finds a way to play and continue the game, yet change the way it is played, without bringing the game to an end, and in do doing, making a better game for both human and dog. Maybe I also envy the ability of the dog to change the dynamic between human and dog in a way that achieves a kind of shared control of the game.
Finally there is the ‘refusenik dog’. Upon its human throwing the ball, the dog looks up at the human with a look that says ‘I hope you don’t expect me to go and get that‘, or perhaps ‘this chasing balls thing is for dogs – and I am not a dog‘. I generally feel for the human as he or she makes the ‘dash of shame’ to retrieve the ball, more often than not accompanied by the refusenik. The number of attempts by the human to engage the refusenik in the chase/fetch/return game is generally a sign of the doggedness (no pun intended) of both the human (who continues to do all the throwing, fetching and retrieving), and the refusenik (who won’t go and get the ball back).
I have a somewhat grudging respect for the refusenik dog: it is the conscientious objector, who has drawn a line with its human such that chasing a ball is not a price it will pay for its upkeep, and is perhaps well on its way to fully training its human. However, as I grew up with refusenik dogs, my respect is tempered somewhat by my sympathy for human who cannot get his or her dog to perform the basic of functions: the chasing of the ball.
I think, now more than ever, that each of us needs to find the smart dog within ourselves. To continue playing the game of life (even if, sometimes, it is as futile as chasing and retrieving a ball), yet finding ways to make that game different, more interesting, more reciprocal so that others may become involved, and may benefit. Being somewhat invested or a refusenik might show some independence, or an adherence to some set of principles, but I rather doubt that it enhances the lives of those around us. To be able to play and enhance the experience for yourself and those around you and enjoy a treat, a warm blanket and an afternoon nap is surely something to which we should all aspire.
