Lucille the Dog

I have had Lucille for over 13 years.

In those years she has taught me how to live well, how to care for others (without talking!), and how to manage the ups and downs of life without whining.

She has pointed out – on hundreds of occasions – how any thought of the superiority of humans compared with other animals is folly.

The simplicity and elegance of a healthy dog’s intelligence puts our fumbling, erratic human brains at the bottom of the class.

Lucille’s innate sense for her place in our relationship is remarkable (even when she is disturbed or hungry)….she gently demands equity.

Even her dog ‘rear end licking’ sensibilities can be seen as ethical thoroughness.

We humans – in the name of invention, creativity, etc. – have profoundly changed the earth and the universe – many times with little understanding of the impact of those changes.

We have tinkered with, extracted from, and manipulated.

The value and good of all our human activity appears to be in doubt – given predictions of our climate impact and how those climate impacts might alter the earth’s ability to sustain life.

When I asked Lucille her opinion about all of this she licked my face.

As Wendell says… it all turns on affection.