I was brought up in a culture and home where dogs lived outside as a guard or a warning system.

They were not like horses or donkeys with specific weight- bearing roles. Or a pig, goat or sheep, specifically for meat eating.

Dogs were just there. They barked to let us know of an approaching stranger or to let the stranger know they were now entering guarded territories.

There was a feeling of safety and security which we relied on. There was this natural loyalty and mutual trust.

 I was recently reminded of this by my daughter. Russian, her outside dog, has a watchful presence. He follows her from a distance and waits by the gate for her return. He lies patiently on her veranda or ventures out looking for her and would wag his tail on seeing her. He hangs around waiting for her.

My friend, who is a keen dog lover, invited me along with my son to go dog walking. Dog walking was my compromise rather than owning a dog.

I noticed the relationship between her and Murphy, her dog. He would wander off and upon hearing her voice, even whilst busily greeting other dogs, he would find her.

I noticed also my friend’s interaction with other dogs, even those she did not know. She would extend her hand and they would nuzzle their noses into her palm or slow their pace for a stroke.

It felt like a flow of energy or an unspoken language.

Other dog walkers appeared to have a similar ability to communicate or interact.

I am cautious around dogs as my internal sensor, upon seeing a dog, warns me of danger and so I keep alert. 

Curiosity with my friend’s lackadaisical approach to danger got the better of me so I asked her how she knew they were safe.

She was trained and relied on her internal intuition. I suppose it is similar to me relying on my internal intuition to feel safe as I walked into the middle of my outside dogs barking ferociously at strangers.

I wonder about that bond between dogs and human beings:- The art of creating a mutually beneficial relationship.