Imagine stepping out of a cavernous darkness onto a lofty, air-scoured mountainside cliff to see two life forms barely holding on with their sweaty and increasingly weak hands or paws. To one side is a niece or nephew and on the opposing side is your beloved furry friend. Who would you save first? If you had to choose just one, would it be the bipedal being or the four-legged creature?

Just to establish it, I’d dive for the dog without hesitation. My sisters can have more children, but my dog – Laverne – is truly one of a kind. I mean, I hate my siblings’ children, after all. All you have to do is ask them and they’ll tell you that I hate them. Admittedly, there are a few that I hate less than the others, but that’s for another bit of writing.

Anyway, I digress.

Not certified, but Laverne is one hell of a therapy dog, keeping me grounded when a veteran variety anxiety rears its ugly face. She entertains me to high heaven and brightens my day when all else is dim. She’s taught me many beneficial lessons and frankly, I consider her one of the greatest life mentors I know. And it’s a number of these lessons that I share with you now, hoping that you can relate. Maybe, just maybe, you’ll turn to your canine companions (and feline friends) and see a greater wisdom in their actions that you hadn’t observed previously.

1. Laverne doesn’t judge

Saunter around the apartment wearing naught but my Fitbit? Laverne don’t care. Haven’t showered in a questionably filthy number of days? Laverne don’t care. Sporting a pair of pajama pants and a stained hoodie while sobbing uncontrollably because life’s cruel and you just can’t handle your shit right then? Laverne don’t care, though she probably wishes the sobbing weren’t so pathetic.

Point is, my Laverne doesn’t care. She loves me on my worst days and loves me on my best days. If all of us could take that openness and willingness to ignore what she (or we) perceive as character flaws, we’d all be better off in our relationships with others.

2. Laverne is loyal

Her non-judgmental attitude and demeanor extends to even a few individuals I consider less desirable (‘cause I judge). However, her eyes are always on me and often enough (often coinciding my heart rate spiking) she’ll drop the person (upon whose lap she rests) like an unnecessary and useless elective course and beeline over to me. There’s likely some pack mentality at work here, but I’ll take it as loyalty.

3. Laverne values the small things in life

Whether I drop serious bank on a premium, grade-A, USDA approved dinosaur bone or the cheapest-ass piece of pseudo bone from Wal-Mart, Laverne reacts as if she was given a golden ticket straight to the Wonka Factory. A walk through the park, or back and forth with her favorite toy is more than enough to make her tail wag. She can find contentment with an open window or a blanket on the couch. She doesn’t need anything expensive or elaborate. Doesn’t take much to make her happy. Just time and direct attention, which is essentially a gift of the most precious commodity we can give them.

4. Laverne is not a glutton

Aside from being just about the most well-rested dog around, a testament to her indulgence in sleep, Laverne is a regular master of moderation, at least when it comes to her dietary intake. There are occasional days when she barely touches her food and there are days when she empties the bowl. However, Laverne isn’t a beggar, and she doesn’t seem interested in snacks immediately following meals. If only I could follow this lesson a bit more stringently…

5. Laverne looks at you when you talk

When I talk, Laverne’s eyes are on me like white on rice in the middle of a snowstorm in the dead center of Antarctica. It’s not just me; it’s practically everybody. When people talk in the room, Laverne turns to focus on them. And she focuses on you deliberately and with eerily aware severity. It’s unnerving, sometimes. However, on the bright side, you feel valued under her gaze, as if every syllable and gesture you might employ matters. If humanity paid as much attention to fellow humans as Laverne paid to others and myself we might be better off in so many ways.

6. Laverne stands up for herself

Laverne's a ridiculously good-natured beast, but she's far from a pushover. Once in a blue moon she sees fit to assert dominance over a frighteningly larger dog, and once said larger dog knows their place, the two get along rather swimmingly. Scares the ever living hell out of me, fearing that one day she'll pull that on a dog unwilling to tolerate her, but until such a time comes to pass, Laverne will continue on living the thug life. If anything, we ought to be impressed by her boldness to stand up against those occasionally daunting odds. Maybe we can even take that to heart, and realize that our voice and identity matters, that we shouldn't be submissive or silent when times call for action.

What about your pets? What have they taught you?