My dogs are virtuous. Smart? Not necessarily. But virtuous? Sure. If you own a dog, you know it, too. Just for fun, I'm going to trot out the 12 tenets of the Scout Law, which I grew up with as a Boy Scout. A virtuous person is "trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean and reverent." Those 12 virtues are deeply embedded in my psyche ... forever tatooed in my brain.
Interestingly, of these 12, most apply to the dogs I know and have known, and certainly our two -- Linus, the mutt-mix terrier on the right who is cute beyond belief; and Riley, our Golden Retriever, who is a bit spacy but loving and loyal both. (Click on the photo to catch Linus's eyes.)
By my count, only three virtues generally don't apply.
My dogs, indeed, are trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly and kind. (If you have slobbery dog, like Riley, you'll pass on "courteous." )
Obedient? Sure! (Mostly.) Cheerful? Absolutely. Thrifty? Nope ... they'll gobble food as fast as you give it. So that leaves Brave? Yep! Clean? Ha! Nope. Reverent? Well, I think so. You know ... all dogs go to heaven, etc. Certainly their spirits are righteous. Talk about all-forgiving!
Nine out of 12 isn't bad. If only us humans could do as well.
Good dogs!
And no, it's not time for a biscuit.
No comments:
Post a Comment