Welcome!

Beloved Pharaoh. Born: June 3rd., 2003 – Died: June 19th., 2017. A very special dog that will never be forgotten.

Dogs live in the present – they just are!  Dogs make the best of each moment uncluttered by the sorts of complex fears and feelings that we humans have. They don’t judge, they simply take the world around them at face value.  Yet they have been part of man’s world for an unimaginable time, at least 30,000 years.  That makes the domesticated dog the longest animal companion to man, by far!

As man’s companion, protector and helper, history suggests that dogs were critically important in man achieving success as a hunter-gatherer.  Dogs ‘teaching’ man to be so successful a hunter enabled evolution, some 20,000 years later, to farming,  thence the long journey to modern man.  But in the last, say 100 years, that farming spirit has become corrupted to the point where we see the planet’s plant and mineral resources as infinite.  Mankind is close to the edge of extinction, literally and spiritually.

Dogs know better, much better!  Time again for man to learn from dogs!

Welcome to Learning from Dogs

162 thoughts on “Welcome!”

  1. Feeling a whole lot better! Collins English Dictionary hasn’t heard of “integrous” either!

    Am fostering a rescue dog (SBT x Bulldog) at the moment and now have a sneaking suspicion that this particular dog does have “hidden agendas”. For instance the way he sidles up to you ostensibly for cuddles; next you know he’s got you in a half-nelson as it were. Only marginally funny.

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    1. Well it didn’t take long to be rumbled on the use of ‘integrous’. 😉

      But it is used so frequently and so often by David Hawkins (see Blog Roll link) that I’m going to stick with it.

      Fabulous to know that you are a dog fosterer. We have 14 at present here in Mexico, 13 of which were either rescued or dumped outside the house. Some of them do end up finding homes in the US.

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    1. I agree with Tricia. Dogs really are man’s best friend!

      Not only is my black lab the very best listener I’ve ever had the chance to talk to – he’s super protective as well!

      I love how he’s quick to point out when he believes me or my family is in danger.

      /Adam – The Doggy Institute

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  7. Pingback: Housekeeping. « Learning from Dogs

  8. It’s so true about dogs living in the moment and being non-judgemental. I learned a lot about life through my furry kids. Maybe if people would learn to live like a dog — this world would be a better place. 😉

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    1. Emily, Thanks for your comment and welcome to the Blog. Great to ‘meet’ you. Love your Blog as well – feel free to contribute a guest Post to Learning from Dogs. Paul.

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  10. Dear Paul,
    I’m writing to ask if you will say a prayer for my son. I didn’t know how to email you. I know you go to church and told me once you said a prayer. Please pray for my son. He is very sick and I am very scared.
    Thank you Paul.

    Michelle.

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    1. Michelle, of course. But can you send me an email so that I may privately know a little more about your son so when prayers are offered tomorrow morning there is a real sense of connection. Email me at paulhandover (at) gmail (dot) com

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  11. I’ve been hanging out with dogs for most of my 50+ years. I learn something new almost every day. (From mine, as well as from the dog’s of others). It is mind numbing to see the amount of people who pay little or no attention to their dog’s and then wonder why the don’t mind them. My feeling is that most humans expect their pets to “read their mind” insteed of the reverse of that.

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    1. Thank you for subscribing to Learning from Dogs, and for your comment above. Supporters of my meagre writings are so very much appreciated. As you will probably discover, if not already, I use the integrity, openness, love, and sustainability, that dogs offer the world as metaphors for mankind, indeed the whole concept of ‘learning from dogs’. Feel free to submit a guest post or contribute at any time, Paul.

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  12. Thanks for this unique blog! The quality I love in a dog is loyalty. They are loyal to their masters and love them unconditionally. What a rare quality in humans!

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  16. Wow. I’m sorry I didn’t take the time to visit your blog earlier, Paul. What a beautiful sentiment and what a great variety of posts on such an important issue. There is so much wisdom in the world we simply ignore, whether staring back at us from the eyes of a dog, or in the philosophies of indigenous communities.
    We are a part of nature in all its intricate delicacy and, as such, we depend upon it to survive. We cannot exploit it relentlessly and expect it to still sustain us. There is no point beyond nature for us to continue. Somehow, this idea has been lost and I fear, if we don’t find a way back to it soon, we will soon be lost with it.
    Thank you for spreading this message. We need more people in the world who understand and who care.

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    1. Sherryn, once again, I am delighted in the way that this funny old virtual world of Blogging brings like-minded people together across distances, across cultures and, yes, across age gaps! So a big welcome to Learning from Dogs, thanks so much for your comment and, last but not least, love your own writings across at http://totheendofhope.wordpress.com/

      Especially where you write, “I believe in the power of ideas. During these defining times for our planet, I think it is the duty of any writer to spread a message of positive action and change – before we’re too late.”

      Best wishes, Paul

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  17. my sister had to put down her wonderful old dog today… dogs hold a special place in my heart.

    David in Maine USA

    enjoyed your post…

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  18. You don’t think, over 30,000 years, we’ve corrupted them too? But I couldn’t agree with you more on your assessment of the damage we’ve done to our planet. Here in Sri Lanka this morning, she’s crying – I guess we didn’t move the earth with our Earth Day promises. “What’s that love?”. “You want to go out to play?”. “Of course, whatever you want my love.” Maggie’s wish is my command, I’m the servant of my dog, and we have nothing but fun together, how to dwell on these morbid questions when there’s a ball to throw!

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  22. Stumbled upon this post via Sue Dreamwalker … wonderful blog, thank you … dogs know “things” … for sure … I used to get terrible migraines … my dog would know sometimes a day or two before … on our walks he would be walking so close to me, that I would almost fall over him at times. I was often angry at him for doing that … until I figured to take a certain medication before the headache starts … so, now if he makes me stumble over him … I have only a 10 aura … and no headache … works 99% of the time. True story (told by a cat 🙂

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    1. Cat, welcome! Yes, dear Sue has been a great follower on these humble writings so it’s great to have you on-board as well. Feel free to offer any thoughts of your own – I love it when my readers contribute a guest post of their own. Best wishes, Paul

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  24. I agree. Dogs are wonderful but I don’t like the current trend for owning ‘dangerous’ dogs. Dogs have got me through some tough times.
    By the way, I have put a request on Skype for your to become a contact of mine so we can talk about travelling pets. I didn’t like to put my phone number where it can be seen by everyone. Perhaps when we are both on Skype one day we can talk? You must be about 7 or 8 hours behind me though. A point to bear in mind.

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    1. I agree and would love to catch up on your own experiences with dogs. Re Skype, I’m very bad at having it running in background but will turn it on now. Feel free to call if you see me around.

      And should add that Arizona is currently 8 hours behind British Summer Time.

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  26. Hi Paul,
    a big and fond thank you for revisiting!
    Your have an incredible gravatar, the photo of Pharaoh means so much to me.
    I grew up with a bundle of german shepherds in Norway, I first learned to bell and then secondly to pronounce myself… 🙂 Yes, in deed, there’s a lot to learn from dogs. I certainly will revisit your fine blog.
    Take care. Enjoy your weekend.

    Love from the far North
    Dina

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  28. I agree. They are always present and have much to offer us. As I read your post, I thought of the toddlers I work with and I think they too are little Buddhas. It is such a gift to learn from such innocent and pure little people and animals. 🙂

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  31. [ Smiles ] Brilliant article!

    Yes, we can learn so much from our dogs; things like living in the present, not being judgmental and giving unconditional LOVE!

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    1. Dear Renard, thank you for dropping in to Learning from Dogs. The world would be a different place if those three qualities were universally adopted. Love your own Blog. Paul

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    1. Thank you so much, Lisa. He’s 10 years old on June 3rd. Born in a Dartmoor kennel from a specialist GSD breeder! Trained by me with the wonderful assistance of Angela Stockdale; you may have heard of her.

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  34. I so want a dog (a Labrador – not that I am blind or something but I just love them) but shame that we can’t keep pets in the residence of halls of university! Dogs do rule!
    With warm wishes,
    -Naima.

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  36. Thank you for dropping by our Pinkopolian Website 🙂 We have an eye Seeing Labrador in our household. Her name is Flame and she is gorgeous. She is the Dog of my bestie, Justin who has been mostly blind for the good part of the last 15 years.

    She is a beautiful animal and constantly leaving us in awe of how wonderfully intelligent she is.

    Great post.

    Miss Lou
    #Pinkopolis Admin

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  37. Great blog… *looks above* I am one of the administrators for Pinkopolis and thought I would drop back by with my personal account. – Flame has now retired – a few weeks ago now and we have a new Guide Dog. Her name is Halo and she is a black Lab 🙂 Sh’es entirely gorgeous, and very smart!

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  40. Pingback: Posting after a Long period of Aestivation & Hibernation … | My Space in the Immense Universe

  41. Paul

    As you have an occasional interest in the climate change debate, I recommend you have a look at this new project presenting the sceptical point of view (link at bottom). There’s an introductory short overview video, and then individual face-to-face interviews. A good one to start with is David Evans.
    As many of the interviewees say, don’t take their word for what they say, or anyone else’s for that matter. They state clearly their reasons for being AGW-sceptic, many of them having started off as devout believers.

    The common theme is that many people instinctively go with the consensus, assuming they should believe all what they are told by the experts, journalists and campaigners. But many who then make the effort to go into the evidence themselves, will often find the case is nowhere near as strong as presented.

    The project is called ’50 to 1′
    http://topher.com.au/50-to-1-video-project/#prettyPhoto

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  43. Best photo ever, and Ron Howard is my favorite. Not to brag but I have a sister who produces she did “diet tribe” her name in WIKI is Producer: Courtney Paulson

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  46. Hi Paul, thanks for dropping by my guest post on Sally Cronin’s Smorgasbord. Sally passed on your lovely reminiscences about spending time in Australia. I’ve been here about 20 years myself – originally from the west coast of Ireland. Couldn’t pass up the Sydney climate! Nice to see you are a dog lover like myself – thank goodness for their ability to drag us back into the moment and remind us of the simple joys in life! : )))

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    1. Anne, thank you, too, for the link. It’s wonderful the connections we make from this funny blogging thing! Hope to ‘see’ you again on these pages, Paul.

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    1. Thank you so much; that is such a lovely comment. Undoubtedly, as today’s post illustrates, you will notice that not all musings involve dogs. However, I do try and stay pretty close to the theme of integrity; the number one thing all of us should learn from dogs.

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  49. Dear Paul,

    I haven’t had the privilege (yet!) to experience the incredible bond between a human and his dog firsthand, but I believe it’s one that no bond between humans can rival.

    It’s a truly unbreakable bond based on a completely unconditional love that can serve as a great inspiration to all of us. That’s why I decided to follow “Leaning from Dogs”

    I once read about a story about a vet who had to put down a dog while a child was present. What happened next gives a lot of food for thought and I think it fits in very well with this blog “Learning from Dogs”. So I would like to share this story here.

    While the specifics of this (true) story unfortunately have faded, it went something like this:

    The child and his dog were inseparable ever since the child had been born.

    Unfortunately, after a few years, disaster struck and the dog had to be put to sleep. After much deliberation, the parents decide it was best for the kid to be there when the dog would breath it’s last breath.

    When the vet was about to give the dog the injection, some words were spoken about how sad it was that lives of dogs are shorter than human lives. When the kid heard this he said something that left both the parents and the vet in amazement:

    The kid said that the purpose of life is to live a good life. Humans live a long time because they need many years to figure out how to live such a good life. Dogs, however, already know how to live a good life, that’s why they are only on this earth for fewer years.

    Warm regards,
    Jonathan

    Author of http://charismaonfire.wordpress.com

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  50. Hi Paul!! Without hesitation I am following your blog… I love dogs since I was born I guess haha… I have a Golden Retriever called Enzzo, and he is just my everything, and I learn with him everyday of my life. He has been my travel companion for 7 years 😀 I will look forward to reading your stories 😉

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    1. Dear Allane, thank you for your very kind comment. Sincerely hope you enjoy reading my scribblings but note not every post is about dogs. But the constant message is the lessons of truth, trust and integrity that dogs offer us. Topped off by the greatest lesson of all: unconditional love.

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      1. Dear Paul! I find the idea of your blog amazing, unconditional love is no doubt the greatest lesson of all, something all humans should have. Happy to have found your blog! I will come by often 🙂

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  53. Your blog came with good recommendation – Sue Dreamwalker – just to name drop 🙂
    Just a cursory look for now, but I decided to follow based on what I see here. Plus, I can always learn from dogs…
    THNX! 🙂

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    1. Good to hear from you. Totally understand for as well as having ten dogs here we also have four cats! As a young man growing up in London, there were always a couple of cats in the house. Best wishes to you.

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  56. Hello Paul, I am elated to have found your blog. I recently lost my Lucca. He was the most loyal and loving companion I could have ever asked for. He was a 98 pound Chocolate Lab. He was “my son, my guy, my dude”! Finding your blog has made my evening. I have struggled since Lucca’s death and I feel that somehow he has helped me find you and your wonderful world of “Learning from Dogs”. I am off to follow and to explore.

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  57. Lovely post accompanying a truly memorable picture. The eyes do say it all, don’t they?

    Well I suppose, what you have written about ‘being in the moment’ would hold true for all animals except homo sapiens, would it not? The more relevant question therefore has nothing to do with ‘being in the moment really. It is ‘What is that which makes dogs so friendly and loyal to Man?’

    Shakti

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  60. (Weird — I couldn’t ‘like’ or comment without logging in (again), twice; and then Opera wouldn’t let me so I’m now using Safari.

    After all that:
    that’s one of the very best snaps of a dog I’ve ever seen.

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      1. Thanks paul,, there will be a lot more as time goes on. I’m still new to blogging, and I appreciate your comment a lot.

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  62. A bundle of Border Collie fluff taught me to do as Master Yoda once said and “Unlearn what you have learned” and it turned out to be the best lesson I ever had. 😀

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  63. Wonderful blog devoted to some of the most wonderful creatures on the planet. Thank you for all you to do help enlarge our circle of empathy for all creatures, especially the abused and neglected. ❤

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    1. Laura, such a special greeting from you. Thank you. But you have to understand that I am only the messenger, only the bearer of stories from others all across the world. It is without doubt that the relationship between dogs and humans is the most precious ‘cross breed’ relationship there has ever been.

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  64. Hi Paul, thanks for popping by my site and giving it the thumbs up. When I have time, I want to read the ‘Learning from Dogs’ book.
    I grew up with dogs and have longed to have my own, for years. It took some begging and pleading with my husband. He finally gave in and we’ve never looked back. We love her to bits.
    Still very new at this, so the site isn’t quite finished but it’s getting there.
    Looking forward to reading more posts.

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  65. Hello, I’ve just stumbled upon your blog and I thought this might help me love and deeply understand my three dogs – one is Siberian Husky, one is Spitz, and one is Collie! Hoping you continue this beautiful journey of yours. ❤

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    1. While I am able to string words together this blog will continue. Thank you for your wishes. Hopefully we will learn more about your three fabulous dogs.

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  66. How very true! I have marked my entire life with the dogs that I’ve been fortunate enough to live besides. Every dog in my life has taught me loyalty, unconditional love, responsibility and the total heartbreak of profound loss when they go. So true about them living right in the moment, never holding grudges and happy just living with us. There is not a moment that goes by that I dont think about my past dogs, or wish to be with my current dogs.

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      1. Just went on vacation and my 16 year old cocker spaniel had been suffering with kidney failure. I thought she would make it until I returned, but she died while I was away, luckily my stepdaughter was with her the whole time. When I left she stopped eating, I should never have left her. She was really loyal, followed me everywhere.

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  67. I have similar thoughts on doggabilities. Infact, I had recently put out a weekly viewpoint from their perspective.
    And then, finding a whole book on the subject … 🐶 Great blog!

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  68. Mom and I feel for you with the loss of your beautiful Pharaoh. What you say about us are just so true. Mom also agree with you and always say she wish humans were just as kind, loving and loyal as we are. That makes us very special indeed and I am glad I have found my friend in mom, just you found your friend in Pharaoh. I’ve seen mom cry a few times over the loss of Simba, her Peketese that was nearly 18 years young. All I then do is lick away the tears, because that is all I can do. She says he will never be forgotten and still has his ashes on her bedside with his photo.

    Thank you for sharing and for this lovely blog. I am sure mom and I will enjoy reading your posts. 🙂

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    1. Thank you! Yes, we humans are strange people most of the time. Dogs are creatures of integrity, they do not lie!

      Pharaoh was a special dog and we still miss him. Thank goodness we have another six dogs to love.

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      1. Mom always says that as well and yes, that is so very true.

        I can see he was and he will forever be in your hearts. Your other 6 furry kids are so lucky to have you all and so are you. 🙂

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  71. Hello Paul, thank you for this blog. I want to get a dog soon and your articles are a great start to learn from. Keep up the good work. Also thank you for commenting on my website!

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    1. Angellutz, do I have your name correctly?, welcome to this place and we hope to see you again soon. What are your circumstances in terms of getting your first dog?

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