What the World Needs now is...Love, Sweet Love! "What the World Needs Now Is Love" is a 1965 popular song recorded by Jackie DeShannon with lyrics by Hal David and music composed by Burt Bacharach.[1]  This song is as much a message today as it was some 59 years ago. The word "love" has been used over the years to mean so many things. Love comes in many shapes and forms. Romantic love is one form of love and is often spoken about more often than any other form of love. Fortunately, for us humans there are many other forms of love. There's parental love, family love , friendship love, pet love, and love of thyself. All of these forms of love are important in their own right. But, there is one form of love that I will be writing about in this Blog... Unconditional Love We've often equated Unconditional Love with the love we receive from our dogs. I know that from my own experience of owning many dogs throughout my life that no matter what happens every dog will show this unconditional love. A love that has no limits. That's the gift our dogs give to us. They welcome us back when we've been away from them for even a minute. I've often heard people say that, "I'll just bring the garbage out and when I walk back into the house I'm welcomed eagerly with open paws of love." Truth be told, this occurrence has happened to me numerous times. Why are these furry creatures so lovable? According to CompanyofAnimals.com, "The primary reason that dogs are able to give so much love is because, they, like humans, have the ability to release oxytocin when they interact with someone or something that they like. Oxytocin, also known as the 'love hormone' is a chemical that releases in response to activation of sensory nerves." "Scientists have found that, just like oxytocin, dogs have higher levels of serotonin compared to wolves. This kind of happiness has to do with their relationship to humans—as dogs were domesticated, the human–dog bond became stronger, bringing both parties more happiness. Dogs give us so much."[2] When I watch Picasso working, I witness how people's faces light up as they see him. It's in their smile that I know his message of love is well received. When we adopted Picasso, I was told that he would make a wonderful therapy dog. However, as his handler, I needed six months to bond with him. After that period of time we would be ready to be tested as a team. After a week of him living with us, I thought, my goodness, I feel bonded with him already! Then as time went on, I understood how important it was to really bond with your therapy dog partner. These things take time and Canine Companions Therapy Dog program managers know that very well. As excited as I was to get going with our work as a team, I also knew that I was responsible for Picasso's success as a Therapy Dog. It's been four months since Picasso and I were certified as a therapy dog team for Canine Companions. I can say with complete confidence that he LOVES his work. As do I. He's a natural at his new career. He has this sixth sense of knowing when someone really needs love, joy and comfort. Many times over the past four months I've witnessed him gravitating over to a person who I had no idea needed comfort. For no reason whatsoever he would walk over to him or her...just because he felt that that individual needed his help at that very moment. When this happened initially, my instinct was to pull him away and give him a correction. After all, I was his handler. Right? Wrong! I learned since that he has a way of sensing people's needs. This has happened so many times. Ultimately, the person will say something to him like, "You really don't realize how I needed your comfort today." or "I just lost my dad and you're helping me deal with my grief." I know then that what we are doing as a team is very important. And that as a team I have to let him discern who we need to bring comfort to. He's such a pro at it! Yes, dogs come into our lives and the love they bring is unconditional. They don't ask questions, they just do what is natural to them. They share a selfless love. They're steadfast loyalty goes above and beyond any human can even imagine. Their unwavering devotion and emotional connections with humans make them inherently close to us. I like that closeness. I like having Picasso as my team mate. Love comes in many forms. Each is important, but one is perfect. Dogs unconditional love for us is as close to perfect as we're ever going to get! It's what the world needs now...Love Sweet Love! Happy Tales to you!
xoxo Yvonne
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