Each animal in the Chinese Zodiac comes with its own set of significant attributes, comparable to the Western astrological “Star Signs”. The Dog is widely considered to be courageous, loyal, with a strong sense of fairness. Dogs are social animals, living in the wild in tightly structured packs. They hunt together, eat together, and play together. In most species they raise their young together. They bicker and argue, but real fights are only used to settle serious conflicts.
What do dogs do?
Dogs have uses for humans and humans have uses for dogs. Technology has still not caught up with the abilities of the dog’s nose and brain to track and locate scent. Many a burglar has given a house a miss on hearing barking indoors. In our increasingly fractured family groups, dogs stave off loneliness and isolation. They allow themselves to be cared for and demand interaction and exercise. They can be heroes to us humans – we assign our values and feelings to them, as explained in The Guardian when the Dickin Medal was awarded to a dog last year.
This year’s New Year Card
Thank you to Yevheniia Mikheenko (FWC Cambridge) for the real-life drawings. The images are of Instructor Sharon Ngo’s young Malinois, Scout, as a puppy and now as he grows into adulthood. Scout’s breed epitomises the working dog – his ancestors and brothers are working police and military dogs, search and rescue dogs, and sport dogs. The dog sport is usually IPO – in some ways the dog equivalent of Kung Fu. The dogs need discipline, strength. endurance, speed, and courage. Aggression is not valued but rather what is known as “high drive” – the desire to work and work and work, intelligently and co-operatively.
So next time you are sparring, perhaps you could try to “be more dog”?
See you in class.
P. S. Chinese New Year lasts 15 days so there’s plenty of time to celebrate.