Play Nice

Winston moved in last month and he is going to be living with us for 4 months,  at least that’s what I have been told.

When you have someone new to the household, changes will happen and adjustments are needed.  Unfortunately not everyone is happy with our latest addition.  After all, not everyone welcomes changes readily.  Most of all, when you are so used to be the only dog in the house; another canine addition is not exactly what Jaden is ready for.

Winston is a young pup with lots of unbridled energy; he wants to play all the time.  Whereas Jaden shuns that kind of puppy play, and rather sleeps and enjoys his time on the couch.   It is a big adjustment for him, for now he has to share his dog space  and attention with someone else.

It has been a month since our family has its new member, and for the past 30 plus days, I observed closely to the different stages Jaden went through:

Realization—it was a crude awakening for him, on the day when Winston moved in, he realized that this dog was not just visiting for the day, but he is staying.  He knew he was up the creek when he saw the bed, the water bowl, the leash and all the toys slowly occupying his precious space.  Life has indeed taken on a different turn that very day.

Annoyance—as soon as he realized that Winston is here to stay, Jaden has immediately exercised and claimed his rightful place in the household.  He stated clearly that he is in no way ready nor willing to share the attention and affection with any other dogs who might intrude his territory. Most of all he has loudly declared the rules of the game, that everything in the house is his, be it a toy, a bone or any human.   He finally vocalized his annoyance one day when he pinned Winston down on his back and growled at him with his teeth drawn back.  He had made his feelings known that no way on earth he is n going to put up with this dog !

Tolerance—over time, he has slowly come to grip with his dire circumstances, not that he likes it a lot but it is one of those things he has no control over.  He goes around the house minding his own business and meanwhile tries his best to ignore the existence of this other dog that seems to be constantly in his way, and sometimes literally in his face.

Acceptance—with things the way they are, Jaden quickly learned to deal with situations which required some radical changes.  Just the other day, when he found that Winston had abandoned his own water bowl, and used his instead, he quietly sat there and watched him until the dog finished attacking his water with gusto.  He is certainly coming to terms with this unwanted member, for he had not attacked him the way he did a few days ago.  He finally accepted this dog.

Appreciation–I think this is the only way I can describe it, Jaden has  finally learned to love this little guy the way he is, not that he likes him in general.  But the fact is when he does choose to get along with Winston, things are definitely better at home.  There is a sense of peace, and the humans do not have to step in to break them apart.  As a matter of fact two nights ago we found these two creatures, for the first time, playing nicely and enjoying each other’s company.  There is finally peace between them.

The dogs have certainly got what it means to live in peace and harmony in spite of their differences and their perspectives on life.  They know the fundamentals of living in a community, as the two most important things Jesus had prayed for us is love and unity.  Sadly to say, these two are the contributing factors for some of the broken relationships in the body—

1-4If you’ve gotten anything at all out of following Christ, if his love has made any difference in your life, if being in a community of the Spirit means anything to you, if you have a heart, if you care— then do me a favor: Agree with each other, love each other, be deep-spirited friends. Don’t push your way to the front; don’t sweet-talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. Don’t be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand.  Philippians 2 ( The Message)

I think we will be happier and at peace if we start playing nice.