Jason Earle

With all six legs, Oreo and I hit the ground running in 2003 and did more than 1,500 residential mold inspections over a dense and powerful four+ year period. We had an absolute blast while making a HUGE and immeasurably positive impact in the lives of hundreds of families. As we expand our reach, the goals have shifted; hundreds of inspections per day, tens of thousands of lives improved…monthly.

Being a Wall Street refugee, it was quite the transition for me.

I used to arrive at work at 6am and work till 8pm or from 2am to 4pm.

Time to relax? I didn’t have time for lunch.

I love a good work ethic, and Oreo has reinforced this appreciation. What she has also taught me is the value of truly living; of making a life in the midst of making a living.

Here are some of the lessons I have learned from her:

Live in the moment

It’s so cliche, so obvious and yet so fleeting and elusive. We need all the reminders we can get.

Dogs seem to have a different spin though.

Everything is forever. When I leave for five minutes, she thinks I’ll be gone forever. When I return she hopes I’ll be back forever. There’s something reassuringly tortuous about eternity. She savors every moment.

Everything is now. Now is the best time to do EVERYTHING! Take a walk or a run, eat and eat and eat, run around in circles, cuddle up, take a deep breath…and sigh. Again, she savors every moment.

Instant forgiveness

BONK! I look down at Oreo with my heart sinking and her blinking while still staring lovingly upward, moments after the refrigerator door collides, with a stunning thud with her precious little cranium. Amazingly, there’s no loss of love. She knows I didn’t mean it. “Clumsy human,” she must mutter to herself, but only seconds later it’s like nothing ever happened. Try THAT with your neighbor (or husband, wife, girlfriend or boyfriend).

“Why hold grudges?” Oreo asks. Life is too short for humans . It’s even shorter for dogs.

Get outside and run!

It’s always a good time to go outside and play.

Try this for a morning pick-me-up: Break into a sprint for no discernible reason, then…stop on a dime to smell the pavement for 5-7 savory seconds.

Then jog away.

Feel better?

I sure do, just imagining you doing that!

Stop to smell the roses

It’s kind of like the one above, but very different and worth repeating even if it wasn’t.

Alright, Oreo doesn’t care much for roses. In fact, for a creature with such an overwhelmingly powerful sense of smell, I’m perpetually amazed at her affinity for foulness. That aside, there’s no better ambassador for the Directorate of Loving Life than Oreo.

Talk to strangers

People love to be noticed. Dogs notice everyone and they aren’t shy about saying hello. I’ve seen Oreo brighten thousands of peoples’ days with an enthusiastic acknowledgment of their existence.

While I love the way she approaches strangers, I still think shaking hands is an improvement over Oreo’s typical initial social exchange with other canines we encounter.

Appreciation and Value

It’s an amazing word; appreciate.
app⋅pre⋅ci⋅ate [uh-pree-shee-eyt]
1. to be grateful or thankful for: They appreciated his thoughtfulness.
–verb (used with object)
2. to value or regard highly; place a high estimate on: to appreciate good wine.
3. to be fully conscious of; be aware of; detect: to appreciate the dangers of a situation.
4. to raise in value.
–verb (used without object)
5. to increase in value: Property values appreciated yearly.

When we appreciate someone, they certainly appreciate in value, to both parties. A grateful thought, look, touch or word can transform a day. Such a powerful thing, appreciation is. Like beauty, value is in the eye of the beholder. Appreciation is about recognizing and acknowledging value. We all want to be appreciated and valued and dogs do it SO well.

An animal’s attention and appreciation can lift even the most morose soul out of a literal lethargy…with just a simple expression of affection. Is it any wonder that we gravitate toward the creatures that appreciate us so lavishly?

Loyalty is not an option

It’s not an option. Oreo has made it clear that I’m her human. So I’m loyal to her. She’s the only dog in my bed.

Will work harder for love and fun than for money

OK. She’ll work hardest for peanut butter, but love and fun are in the running for second and third. If we’re making a living but not doing what we love or having fun doing it, we are most certainly not making a life. I don’t think anyone on their death bed ever said, “I wish I’d spent more time in the office.” Someone once told me that we will regret most the things we did not do, far more than the things we did. Is there anything heavier than the weight of regret? What are you working for?

Ignorance really IS bliss!

Sometimes we’re better off not knowing about our limitations. Too often we fail to strive because someone tells us that how hard it’s going to be.

There have been too many stories of people who outlived “death sentences” handed down by well-meaning physicians, only because their families prevented them from knowing the prognosis!

How to say so incredibly much without saying a word

Words sometimes seem so unnecessary

Take a nap

Most great thinkers took short naps during the day. Edison, Einstein, JFK…

Need I say more?

And now this:

If you can start the day without caffeine,

If you can get going without pep pills,

If you can always be cheerful, ignoring aches and pains,

If you can resist complaining and boring people with your troubles,

If you can eat the same food everyday and be grateful for it,

If you can understand when your loved ones are too busy to give you any time,

If you can overlook it when those you love take it out on you when, through no fault
of yours, something goes wrong,

If you can take criticism and blame without resentment,

If you can ignore a friend’s limited education and never correct him,

If you can resist treating a rich friend better than a poor friend,

If you can face the world without lies and deceit,

If you can conquer tension without medical help,

If you can relax without liquor,

If you can sleep without the aid of drugs,

If you can say honestly that deep in your heart you have no prejudice against creed, color, religion or politics,

Then, my friend, you are almost as good as your dog!

- Source: Unknown