Today we celebrate the International Day of the Dog!

Which other domesticated beast has so fondly captured our hearts & imaginations? For over 15,000 years, the care & companionship we’ve developed & bestowed upon dogs has been reciprocated by them - in more than equal measure. The bond of human & dog has become a rarity of greatest friend & family (often the only family or friend). They work tirelessly in paddocks; fearlessly defend the front door; are gentle therapists & Guardians of the Ute-tray.

Our simple words don’t do justice in expressing thankfulness for The Dog - Canis lupus familiaris. So, we’re turning gaze to one of history’s greatest dog admirers and finest poets, the late Mary Oliver. She instructs us in her book ‘Dog Songs’, 

“Because of the dog’s joyfulness, our own is increased. It is no small gift. It is not the least reason why we should honor as well as love the dog of our own life, and the dog down the street, and all the dogs not yet born. What would the world be like without music or rivers or the green and tender grass? What would this world be like without dogs?” 

Mary Oliver (1935-2019)

#dog #internationaldayofthedog #internationaldogday #gratitude #joy #mittagongvet #vet #mittagong #southernhighlands #DogSongs #MaryOliver 

Image of Mary Oliver and her dog Percy. Photo by Rachel Giece Brown.