What My Bulldog Max Has Taught Me About Peace

I first brought Max home three years ago, purchased from a local pet store. I was never allowed a dog growing up, and had wanted to get one for some time (and to surprise my daughter, who had been asking for one).

He was extremely cute… and had a little wobble to his walk. I was concerned at first, but he grew out of it. And he is now a big, lovable, “tough” guy, who’s a friend of the whole family and all the neighbors.

But with this dog, came many lessons. And the experiences that I’ve gone through with Max, and things I’ve witnessed, have changed me into a more mellow, gentler, and peaceful person.

Max’s 1st Lesson for Becoming a More Peaceful Person – Patience

If you’ve ever had a puppy, you know they are not easy… besides their little destructive natures (they chew on everything!), they make messes all over during house training and do no listen.

Dogs will test your patience like nothing else. I had times where I felt like possibly returning or giving Max up. I even searched online if others had felt the same way, and more experienced dog owners had commented on having these thoughts, but were thankful for not giving in. Their dogs had become some of the greatest companions in their lives.

I’m glad I listened to their advice. While it was rough at first, Max now listens (most of the time), and is very well-behaved when it comes to his house training. He no longer chews on furniture, and doesn’t cause much trouble at all.

Putting up with all of these difficulties, and being patient, finally paid off, and I see it was very well worth it. And I’ve expanded my “threshold” and ability to deal with things without losing my peace of mind. It was a lesson learned, but I had to go through the experiences to learn it.

Not Caring What Other Think – Max’s Lesson #2

As a pup, Max would “go” in the middle of the vet’s office at times. Max would randomly jump up and “dance” on strangers legs. Max goes into other dogs “areas” when he is meeting new dogs… he still does this.

Max holds his “necessities” until we go to the dog park, even if I take him for a walk before, and he decides to go once we arrive. Comes with the territory, I’ve learned.

All somewhat embarrassing scenarios.

But these situations started to become less and less embarrassing, and I learned to deal with them without allowing it to ruin my mood, or make things (too) awkward with those around me.

In this way, Max has helped me further break out of my shell, and care less what others think, and this has helped me maintain my peace more often, even in other embarrassing situations unrelated to my dog!

How to Relax, and Relax Hard – Max’s Final Lesson in Peace

While Max loves his walks, and loves being around the family, other people and meeting other dogs, he has an amazing ability to do absolutely nothing.

I’ve always been the opposite. I’m somebody that always needed to feel productive. I work too hard, always doing things around the house or running errands… it used to be a little too much.

And all throughout, when at home and working on my stuff? Max is in his bed, relaxed, occasionally looking to see what I’m doing. Perfectly at peace with doing nothing. He’ll occasionally come up to say hi to me, or walk under my chair, or lay down at my feet grabbing my feet with his paws… and little by little, his way of life, and relaxation, has had a positive influence on my ability to be at peace with relaxing.

We can’t be productive all the time. We need down time. This is something I tried working on before, but Max has brought this to my attention to a larger degree.

So now I make sure to find time to lay out on the couch and watch TV and do nothing, with my buddy Max laying alongside me… and this has brought greater peace into my life. Thank you Max.