This morning I was sitting cross-legged at one end of the mat when Wolfie stretched himself out full length on it, put his big head on my lap, took a deep breath and, as the yoga teachers say, focused inward. There was no room for Bisou, who contented herself with licking my hands, which I had placed palm up on my knees, index- and thumb-tips touching, in whatever mudra that is.
God knows I've done some sweating on that mat--is that what attracts them? Or is it something more ineffable, having to do with energies and such?
Here's another thing: have you ever bent to straighten a rug that your dog has wrinkled without the dog instantly leaping onto the rug, making it impossible for you to fix it? This happens to me at least seven times a day, every day.
I think that this has to do with the dog's instinct to look in whatever direction we're looking. Some people believe that this ability--which non-human primates lack--is the reason that the dog's ancestors became people's hunting partners and were domesticated.
And lastly, why does everything a dog plays with infallibly end up under a piece of furniture? I'm not just talking about balls here, but bones, tug-of-war toys, whatever. It seems that whenever I'm not straightening rugs I'm flat on the floor, reaching among the dust bunnies for something Bisou has lost and desperately needs.
My friend Alix, Bisou's breeder and dog woman par excellence, runs a bed-and-breakfast for dogs in her house. If you have a dog that might need a place to stay, or just want to see beautiful dogs (inluding Cavaliers) romping in idyllic surroundings, check out Alix's website: http://halflingdogboarding.com/
I think rather than to look in whatever direction we're looking, a dog's instinct might be to insert itself into whatever is our field of view -- hence getting onto the rug we're straightening.
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