Selectively Learning

Progressing through life we all form memories and experiences. We collect this information in many different ways and will ultimately permanently change our behavior in some way. This weekend I went home to visit my family and take care of my father’s dogs while he went out of town on business. Having always wanting a dog and more importantly looking to get one of my own in the near future I was excited to see if I was truly ready to purchase and care for a dog of my own.

Having dogs all my life I had considerable knowledge of what it was like to take care of dogs and thought since I had in the past this would be no different. Owning two Newfoundlander puppies I soon came to the realization I could be in for a time consuming weekend. Always having someone in the past around to take them for walks or let them outside I quickly realized I had removed the negative aspects of caring for the dogs which had ultimately led me to only perform responses that avoided me being inconvenienced by the dogs.

I had shaped my behavior to fit my desired outcome that owing a dog was all fun and little responsibility. Producing only positive outcomes and essentially ignoring all of the negative ones I had built a a distorted reality of dog ownership.

Though the weekend was an eye opener on what I was selectively retaining, it also taught me that someday I will be ready for a dog.  Having such vast episodic memories of dogs around the house in my childhood it truly reaffirmed once I have graduated from school and learnt more on what is required of me I will happily make the purchasing decision.

The nostalgia of my two golden retrievers growing up will ultimately never fade, and this is where I hold my deepest roots of my love for dogs. After the weekend was over I headed back to Ottawa and really thought long and hard about the memories I created this weekend and what I had learnt. Perhaps I may not be ready for a dog today but in the future when it comes time to make the purchase decision I will be able to take comfort in knowing what I am getting myself into.