The Comfort of a Dog

The comedian and "Agnostic Atheist" Ricky Gervais was on the Stephen Colbert show. Colbert is Catholic. After a friendly discussion about atheism, Colbert asked him, "If you don't get comfort from God, what gives you comfort?"

Gervais thought a moment, smiled, and answered, "Dogs."

Nervous laughter from the live audience.

Discussing the theology of this is way above my pay grade (Walt Whitman famously wrote, "Never argue about God"), but the comfort we receive from our canines is manifest.

Gervais went on to say, "A dog loves you more than it loves itself. That's why I worship dogs."

Providing comfort these days is not something that we should take lightly. No matter where you stand politically or religiously, it is a crazy time. It is a transformational time, full of uncertainty and a bit of chaos. As the Buddhist writer Pema Chödrön quipped, "If you're invested in security and certainty, you are on the wrong planet."

It's no wonder we are stressed and easily irritated.

And yet, when you come home, there is a dog who isn't worried about the rent, Ukraine, Medicaid, or ICE, who just wants to be with you. They greet us at the door, barking, tails wagging, and jumping up joyfully. Our late Bernese Mountain dog, Mowgli, would always bring his favorite toy to the door as if to say, "Here, play with me! Forget the world for a few minutes!"

And it is OK to take their nonverbal advice! It's OK to wrap your arms around your dog, play a moment or two of fetch, and sit on the ground and have your dog on your lap. It's a joy when a dog rolls over on his back to have his belly rubbed. What is better than lying on the couch, closing your eyes for a few moments, and trying not to think while your dog cuddles with you?

The larger point is that we need to work, know what is going on in the world, and be involved. But, as our dogs point out daily, we will shrivel up and blow away if we don't find the time to be with them — 100% focused on that special animal sitting in front of you.

Comfort is this: your heart rate dropping, your blood pressure falling, and all the negativity and stress fading for a few minutes. Being with a dog who loves you more than she loves herself will do that.

Twenty thousand years or so ago, our hunter-gatherer ancestors developed their relationship with canines. The "wolves-turning-into-dogs" did many things. They were an early warning system, cleaned up meal scraps, and probably carried loads on sleds. What a great gift for our distant relatives. And now our world is so different, unimaginable to early homo sapiens. And I would argue that dogs play as important a role in our lives now as they did during the ice age. They may choose to lounge on a couch rather than haul a sled, but their presence reminds us that joy exists and that we are loved.

So, an important fact is that in our wild and unpredictable times, never forget that everyone deserves some comfort: you, your significant other, and your children (maybe especially our kids).

If you are a guardian of a dog or two, you know that their special gift, their talent, is to be the giver of that comfort. Let's take advantage of the gift and thank whoever or whatever you thank that dogs are here and that they love us.

Hersch Wilson’s latest book, “Dog Lessons: Learning the Important Stuff from our Best Friends” is available at Collected Works in Santa Fe and bookstores everywhere.