LOVE QUIZ and the Human-Animal Bond-Dr. Don DeForge 04July2013

LOVE QUIZ and the Human-Animal Bond

Dr. Don DeForge

05July2013

Mother Teresa: "We can do no great things; only small things with great love."

In my blogs, I frequently refer to a special friend, Dr. Leo Buscaglia.  We lost Leo from heart failure 15 years ago but he has been with me every moment of my life and even more today than when I first heard him speak.  Leo was an educator, a scholar, a college professor, a media personage, an international lecturer, and most importantly a very decent and kind person.  Here are two lessons he taught me.

"Death is a challenge. It tells us not to waste time . . . It tells us to tell each other right now that we love each other"

~Leo Buscaglia

Perhaps the fact of life most conducive to living fully as a person is an honest awareness and acceptance of death.  When we can embrace death as simply another aspect of the life cycle, we will give appreciation and value to each life encounter knowing that it will never occur again.

~Leo Buscaglia

He also shared with me and 1000's of others his Love Quiz.  It was a test that you would take each day to be sure that you were centered and not drifting; that you were helping and not just asking; that you were embracing life and not just embracing wealth; and most importantly that you were each and every moment of each day SHARING LOVE.

I know that he would be honored, if he were with us today, to see what I have done with his famous LOVE QUIZ.  I have changed its emphasis not to detract from its message but to expand the message into the arena of the Human-Animal Bond.

Love Quiz-Dr. Leo Buscaglia with an Interpretation to Emphasize the Importance of the Human Animal Bond....Don DeForge, VMD

Asking yourself questions and answering them honestly is a good path to self-knowledge. In keeping with this idea, has your life impacted or improved the importance of any member of the Animal Kingdom today?

· Is any pet, companion, service dog, farm animal, zoo or aquarium animal or........ any other member of the Animal Kingdom a little happier because I came along today? 

· Did I leave any concrete evidence of my kindness, any sign of my love?

· Did I try to think of the animal I love and care for....... and the one who provides unconditional love to me......in a more positive light? 

· Did I help this animal companion to feel joy in my interactions today? 

· Have I attempted to remove a little of the rust that is corroding my personal companion animal relationship because I am too busy to see that........... I have been ignoring my responsibilities as animal advocate? 

· Have I forgiven my pet for being less than perfect because I myself am never perfect? 

· Have I forgiven myself for not being there as my pet grew older; developed cancer; or cognitive dysfunction? 

· Have I learned something new about life, living, or loving from my pet and special companion in life's journey?

. Have I gone through the day without fretting over what I don't have & celebrating the things I do have by giving extra love and attention to my special companion animal friend?

If you are not satisfied with your answers, take heart! Tomorrow you get to start all over again! If you will it, this is one quiz you can never fail.

As a pet owner; as an advocate of any species of the Animal Kingdom; as a protector from pain for all animals...whether farm, exotic, zoo, aquaria, laboratory, or any other......... comes responsibility.

When we step aside and say that this is not for me to consider or believe this concern is unnecessary in relation to animals, we have broken the support system of the bridge of compassion.  For compassion to be realized we need to find empathy.  Here is what you will find when consulting an on-line dictionary about what the word "empathy" means:

Empathy is the capacity to recognize or understand another's state of mind or emotion. It is often characterized as the ability to "put oneself into another's shoes", or to in some way experience the outlook or emotions of another being within oneself. It may be described metaphorically as an emotional kind of resonance or mirroring.

We must teach our children the importance of empathy.  Having children take the Human-Animal Bond Love Quiz from an early age will increase their awareness of empathy and deepen their social interaction skills.

Humanitarian, Paul Farmer, on May 25, 2013 in his University of Delaware Commencement Address described Empathy Deficit Disorder [EDD] and stated the following:

"You can be the cure for EDD in its chronic and acute forms. You can be the folks who address local outbreaks of EDD and also the global pandemic, which has affected people in every single nation on this fragile and crowded planet. Indeed, ours is a world that requires nothing less than linking empathy and compassion to reasoned plans that harness it to meaningful action. I don’t think anyone sitting out there, or up here, believes for a minute that humanity doesn’t have a future."

Begin today and take the Human-Animal Bond Love Quiz with your children, your partner, your lover, or your closest friend.  Remember, this is one Quiz you can never fail because it can be taken in its newest most relevant form each and every day of our lives. [A special thank you to my friend, Dr. Leo Buscaglia]

Dr. Don DeForge-Animal Doc AM Multi-Media

www.AnimalDocAMMultiMedia.blogspot.com

Feel free to contact Dr. DeForge at:  DonDeForge@aol.com

Silver Sands Veterinary Center

17 Seemans Lane

Milford, CT 06460

05July2013