I have a feeling that if people were more like big dogs, the world would be a much better place. You know, large, happy dogs like Golden Retrievers and Chocolate Labs. Not small dogs. If people were like small dogs, the world would be filled with yapping, general paranoia, and all sorts of posturing to make ourselves appear bigger and more important than we actually were. In other words, the world would be exactly the same as it is now.

But if people were more like big dogs, things would be better all the way around.

Big dogs never spend time worrying about whether or not you're happy to see them -- all they care about is that they're happy to see you. For them, the fact that you've just shown up is cause for celebration. But why? Well, why not? Big dogs don't waste time making life more complicated or thought-provoking than it needs to be. They will always make you feel like your appearance at the door or at the backyard gate is the highlight of their day, because they've decided, for whatever reason, it is. When's the last time a person did that for you?

Big dogs also recognize that play is the key to life. And they'll have fun playing with whatever is around. A tennis ball, a stick, or the neighbor's cat. Dogs don't shop around trying to find the biggest stick, the newest tennis ball, or even the fastest cat. If it's there and can be chased, that's all that counts. They're the masters of being happy with what they've got.

Big dogs don't feel remorseful over their mistakes for longer than they need to. If they break a rule, they're terribly, sincerely sorry -- for about 30 seconds. After that, they literally shake it off and move on. You will never find a dog beating itself up over what it did two months ago.

At the same time, they often exhibit a better learning curve than many humans -- if something results in their special person feeling angry or sad, or if what they do results in loss of play, most of the time a dog will stop doing it, eventually. At least they'll try. Oftentimes people will not.

Big dogs are also generally tolerant of the petty and paranoid behavior of the "little dogs" of the world. The first time I took Gidget, my 12-pound Jack Russell Terrier, to the vet, she attempted to intimidate and attack a very lovely and sanguine 230-pound Bull Mastiff named Moose, who was calmly minding his own business on the other side of the waiting room. Moose simply looked down and watched bemusedly while Gidget frothed and snarled herself into a state of rigor mortis at the end of her leash and harness. It was quite embarrassing.

We all know at least a few Gidgets in the world, and how silly they look (unbeknownst to them) most of the time. If we were more like big dogs (like Moose), we'd just let them yip and yap themselves into exhaustion instead of worrying about what they could do to us on any given day.

Big dogs also rarely show much concern about their looks. They are content with their appearance, preferring that their grooming and health needs be kept simple. The only time you'll see a big dog concerned about his body is when he passes gas, at which point he will frown and look around at his backside as if to say, "I have no idea why that funny smell is coming from this end of me." But at least he's honest about where it came from. Big dogs are usually honest about most things.

Big dogs also realize that wherever they are, as long as their special people are around, everything is OK. They don't get caught up in the perfection of any particular locale as much as wanting their loved ones with them.

That's why big dogs love to ride in the car or truck. To them, it means that wherever you are going, that they're going too. Most human families could take that advice to heart and be a whole lot happier.

Bottom line, in a big dog's world, the credo is this:

If there's food to eat, a dry place to sleep, time to play, and people you love around you, life is great.

Maybe we need to spend a little more time being "big dogs" in the world, instead of the "small dogs" we often are. In the world of big dogs, there's always time to enjoy life, and have fun with either those we love, or whoever is around. So ask yourself this question: Are you a big dog, or a small one? Maybe it's time to start enjoying -- and living -- a "big dog's" life. Woof.

(Diane Sayre is a teacher and free lance writer living in Hanford. Write to her c/o The Sentinel, P.O. Box 9, Hanford, CA 93232.)(April 4, 2005)