A Leash As A Metaphor For Love. Or Is It Control? Guidance? Conditioning? Keeping Things In Tact?

I could never be a dog because I'm too playful and impish, just like Glamus. I put her on a leash so she doesn't jump the rocks in my backyard and run off chasing squirrels. She's on a leash so she doesn't jump on strangers or run out in front of a speeding a car. She's contained by a leash so she gets adjusted to boundaries and living in a new household.

This is the nature of puppies and it is never easy. Raising a feisty, happy-go-lucky animal is a metaphor for ourselves.

I wondered yesterday, what happens to a dog that isn't familiar with a leash as a puppy. Where do they go with absolute freedom and what becomes of them. Are leashes bad or are they a human attempt to create some semblance of control in the chaotic world and are they really about the animal or are they about the person trying to nurture and support a newborn puppy with tennis balls, sticks, running, and curiosity on the brain.

This brings me to my parents. I'm so happy I was leashed as a kid, and reminded of minding all that a leash represents. Help around the house. Be good to your sisters. Don't bite back at me. Quit your whining. Stop your barking. Be careful of the pitfalls.

Because everything changes as a puppy gets older and the life of an adult dog is much more complicated than what a youthful dog knows. It's only been a week: two pee pee accidents, one shoe lace, a couple of leaps over the rocks, and a few times getting out of the collar. But, Glamus is just doing what her nature is calling her to do. She wants food, adventure, love, to run, to explore new things, and to be free.

Perhaps that is what all of us want, but in a world of temptations, dangers, and darker corners it's always good to recognize that the leash - although uncomfortable and annoying - is actually a really good friend.

But, I've always been like Glamus. I've never been one for collars and harnesses. I'd much rather run free. And I am thankful for the leashes used on me by my parents because now that I'm a graying, aging man, I recognize the leash, although frustrating and a preferable chew toy, is actually the greatest investment to keep a guy like me out of trouble. Now that I'm a dog owner again, I am thinking about this.