Noble Beast

I was walking back to the office from McDonald's when I spotted a dog lying lazily on the sidewalk. It was part of a security team tasked in detecting bombs or weapons. People have been very afraid of bombings, especially during the holiday season. I'm not familiar with breeds but I think it was a labrador or something similar. Anyway, I took a picture of him/her (I didn't bother to lift it's leg to check!) because I found it cute.

As I was about to take it's picture with my phone camera, it moved closer to me as if to find out what I was doing. He sniffed at my phone and backed up. Confident that it was not a bomb or a weapon, it lay down on the ground and posed for me. "Make sure to get my good side," it seemed to say.

I took it's picture and thanked his handler. As I walked on, I glanced back to see that it was watching me and wagging it's tail. "Come back soon!" I imagined him say. It's funny how animals seem to act as if they know what we are thinking. Maybe we're simply imposing human interpretation to their actions. But it is hard to deny that animals have basic emotions such as joy and sorrow.

I've been around dogs for most of my life. As far as I can remember, our family has always had at least one pet. Some were cats, fishes or birds but most were dogs. Currently, we have 3 dogs who are a genearation apart from the last. Each has a distinct personality that makes me wonder if they aren't more intelligent than they let on.

When they look you in the eye, it's almost as if you can hear them talk. When you speak, it's almost as if they understand what you're saying - though they don't always listen! And when you feel happy or sad, they will walk up to you and let you know that they are there for you.

It's funny ut if you think about it, if animals are capable of love, theirs would be unconditional.