Animals

Our pets keep us honest. If we were lucky enough to grow up with one or two around the house then they likely saw us in some awkward moments. They couldn't judge us and, in particular, our dogs viewed us through rose colored glasses. It always seemed to me they saw our best selves every day, unless they weren't feeling well. Then it was always up to us, if we were smart,  to try to live up to their expectations and repay the kindness by trying to make them feel better.

My current dog is named Angus. We wanted a good Scottish name for him and I immediately was reminded of the wonderful butler in the original PBS series "Upstairs, Downstairs."

In the very first episode he spoke of learning the lesson of humility as a young man, and never having forgotten it. This always struck me as the essence of common sense, but something rarely seen in practice! I suppose by naming a dog after a fictional character who had uttered such a worldly wise bit of advice I hoped it would help remind me to hold my tongue. Unfortunately, Angus is not always around when I need reminding. Though when he is by my side, he induces a feeling of confidence and well being that often times makes we forget what it was that might have tempted me to say something in haste, that I would regret later.



In recent years I made friends with some of the animals at the Central Park. Here are Scooter and April. They are very smart sea lions who know exactly when dinner time is, even if we humans have turned the clock back in the autumn or ahead in the spring.