3 Things We Learn When Our Dogs Roll In Poop

Dirt & Mud seem to be happy. Everyday. Without fail. I’m not convinced it’s a choice they're making, but they certainly aren’t allowing their screw-ups to define them. So as I watched Mud wallow around in armadillo musk this morning, it got me thinking… If I’m only happy when things are good, am I allowing my yesterdays to define my tomorrows?

Poop happens to all of us. It’s what makes us unique. Whether it’s childhood trauma or your first heartbreak, the hard stuff shapes our view of the world, and typically, it’s binary: hostile or friendly.

Have you ever noticed how some people view daily mishaps as funny moments and memories when all you can see is bird poop smacking your windshield as you pull out of the carwash? I knew it. The entire world is against me, even the birds.

I’m noticing problems start when the bad outweighs the good. So we start viewing the world as one giant cesspool we’re fighting to swim out of.

The problem is not the bird poop or the armadillo musk. The problem is the agency we give it over our life. The sooner we realize its hold on us, the sooner we can release it. So learning to roll around in it means we don’t allow it to dictate our decisions for tomorrow. We don’t get to choose what happens to us, but we can always choose how to react to it. Yesterday was yesterday.

Mud loves the stench of musky armadillo almost more than he loves Dirt. Maybe it’s because he’s more present than his velociraptor brother. Or perhaps he just doesn’t give a rip what other dogs think. He’s not living in accordance with Dirt’s approval.

Armadillo musk smells like a mix of a rotten egg and a side of road kill with one significant difference: you must be close to it to smell it. And once you’ve touched it, you’re soaking in tomato juice and vinegar for a solid hour to get it off. It’s a sneaky, awful, nasty deterrent to everything you encounter.

Mud’s not trying to impress me or anyone else. He knows he’s getting a full bath afterward but does it anyway because he enjoys it. It fulfills him.

If everyone likes you, you’re not taking enough risks. Don’t be afraid to risk being disliked. Being bold means, you’ll also have to accept rolling in musk from time to time. Open up space in your life for the people who don’t mind rolling around in it with you. You have to do what you love, regardless of the consequence.

Trying to constantly avoid getting poop on your shoes creates entirely new issues. The tip-toeing around causes stress and anxiety, leading to resentment and animosity. Relationships go on far too long. You don’t learn how to stand up for yourself. Boundaries are non-existent. The list goes on.

The sooner we come to terms that we’re going to step in poop, the sooner we can accept that we ain’t special. It smells terrible at first, and you can’t get it off your shoes. So what do you do? You start with a small stick. You don’t want to accept you’ll have to take your nice comfy shoes off and hose them down, so you try whittling it out of the grooves. When that doesn’t work, you realize they need a complete wash.

Once you start washing them off, you notice dirt and grime you would have never seen had you not stepped in the poop.

Whether we admit it or not, we’re accepted and loved because of the poop that life makes us roll in. And when all else fails, use tomato juice and vinegar.