Most of us don't have to go too far in our family trees to find someone who grew up on a farm. But since 1960, there has been a huge shift in our society to a more urbanized life that does not include a daily working knowledge of animals and nature. This is not to say that simply living in a rural environment somehow confers an understanding of dogs or any animals.  But it did perhaps instill a more basic understanding of "animalness," something we see left over in the comments of our parents or grandparents who cautioned: "Don't bother the dog when he's eating" or "leave a bitch with puppies alone" or "don't tease dogs." Not necessarily a sophisticated understanding of dogness, but certainly a solid grasp of how to avoid being bitten by a dog!

So perhaps there is no mystery as to the increase of dog bites,particularly when you consider that from 1960 to 2003, the US population had a 30+% increase, more than 100 million people, many of whom did not grow up as the previous generations had. It's a different world, and that's reflected in some ways in our relationships with animals.

I've had many, many clients who never had a dog (or any other animal) growing up, but always wanted one. Their learning curve can be, well, let's just say steep. They often have some interesting myths, beliefs and expectations about dogs, and sometimes approach the dog from a highly emotional point ofview without appreciating the need for practical management and training or an understanding of "animalness." The "Lassie" mentality is much in evidence in this group.

On the other hand, those clients who always had dogs also carry with them some old fashioned notions and beliefs which reflect a much more practical approach, albeit one that limits the possibilities of the dog who is not necessarily seen as a creative, emotional, intelligent creature capable of learning a lot, especially when you're not beating them into compliance.

There's something that happens when we as humans reconnect with the "real" world around us, where time flows according to Nature's dictates, and animal time prevails, not the artificiality of human schedules and timetables that often are wildly out of sync with Nature herself. The good news is that you can live anywhere and find the real world. Marie Winn's "Redtails in Love" tells how Manhattanites find a way to reconnect with the natural world. And this article from Newsweek tells us that what is real in Nature cannot be duplicated by facsimiles - the real thing has beneficial effects which can be measured.

That with which we do not live closely becomes mystified, misunderstood and/or romanticized, never a good thing. That which we intimately know shapes us in ways we may not fully grasp but which nonetheless contribute to our wholeness.

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY (and Happy Birthday to Alaskan moose lover Deb Gillis)