Meditation with Basset Hound

Feeling a bit tense this morning, I thought a bit of meditation might be needed to calm my mind. Lyle Love-It, my Basset Hound, also need a bit of sunshine to calm his mind. So we went to the back yard. While he contemplated all the new smells on the yard, I contemplated on my need to calm my "monkey" mind.

After a bit of listening to my breathing and trying to bring some calm in my day. I sat and watched this lovely, funny, and sometimes very serious dog.

Lyle is a beautiful dog. Perfectly Basset. Anyone who has ever had the pleasure to be in the company of a Basset Hound, will tell you that they are unlike any other dog.

While he walked around, I sat and watched. His beautiful tail straight up with the white tip as his flag. His nose to the ground and those wonderful soft ears gathering up any scent of interest. Calmly, he investigated all that there was of interest in and around his area of the yard. I could almost see the information flowing up his nose to his brain.

What scents he recognized and the ones he didn't. There were scents that required him to scratch over with a flourish of dirt flying from his back feet.

Lyle discovered a strange noise this morning from the neighbors yard. They have just started to raise chickens. Wow, that really confused him and required loud howling to let them know that he was there. I could tell by the look on this face that he just couldn't figure out where that strange noise was coming from.

When he decided that the chickens were aware of him, he then had to come and tell me all about it. Lately, he has had to tell me a lot of things. He puts those big front paws in my lap and then has an entire language of growls, yips, and grumbles that he uses to tell me the latest news. He does this with a sincere and serious expression on his face. Maybe he thinks I do understand. It is really funny and it is hard not to laugh when he is being very serious. I say things like: " really? are you sure? that's good." Or other things one would say when having a conversation that you don't really understand. When he thinks I have been informed well enough he gets down and moves on to what he thinks is his next task. Usually, a nap.

I found that watching him was as calming as meditation. Plus, he gives such nice loves as he drapes those wonderful ears across my hands and looks at me like I am the only one who understands him.

Basset Hounds are truly wonderful dogs. My advice: get to know one and you will need little if any meditation.