To Walk a Pagan Path: Practical Spirituality for Every Day by Alaric Albertsson
Authors: Alaric Albertsson
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264). It should come as no sur-
prise, then, that dogs are often associated with gods of heal-
ing such as Nodens and Asclepius.
f 87 2
familiar spirits
No animal is better than the dog at establishing a famil-
iar relationship with us. Like us, the dog is a tribal creature.
It has a strong desire to have a safe and secure position in a
pack, even if that pack consists of nobody but the dog and
you. But like other tribal commitments, this is not a relation-
ship to enter into frivolously. A new puppy can be as demand-
ing as a child. It has a lot to learn, and no one but yourself to teach it. Furthermore, it represents a commitment that will
consume the next ten to fifteen years of your life. If you do not think this is a long time, consider where you were ten
years ago today.
Dogs are brilliant animals, but I am consistently amazed
by people who seem to think a puppy is vastly more intelli-
gent than a human being. Time and again I hear of some-
body who has brought home a new puppy, thrown some
newspapers on the floor and then left for work or school.
The story always ends the same way. This person returns
home and is startled to discover that the puppy had no idea
what the newspaper was for. This is akin to expecting a
human child to instinctively know how to use a potty chair
without any training!
If you think you want a dog for a familiar, you need to
first make sure that you understand its needs. Ask yourself
the following questions:
• Can you devote most of your time to the dog for the
first week after you have brought it into your home?
This is especially important for puppies, but a dog of
any age needs help learning the household rules.
• After that first week, can you devote some time every
single day to the dog? I am not talking about dumping
f 88 2
familiar spirits
some food into a bowl; the dog needs to interact with
you. This can be a walk, a game of fetch or just about
any other activity, so long as both you and the dog are
involved with each other.
• Do you have sufficient living accommodations for the
dog? A dog of medium size or larger needs a fenced
yard unless you intend to take it on several long walks
each day.
• Can you afford the medical bills? There will be shots
and preventative pills, not to mention the possibility of
a medical emergency that could cost hundreds or even
thousands of dollars.
• Do you have experience with dogs, and, if not, are you
willing to attend obedience classes with your dog? A
good obedience class is for the benefit of the owner as
much as for the dog, and you should attend one if you
have not already kept dogs in your household success-
fully.
If you answer no to any of these questions, you should
probably consider an animal other than a dog. A dog will
be thoroughly committed to you—which is why they make
such great familiars—but this means you need to be equally
committed to the dog, and that is not a lifestyle that works
for everybody.
Deciding that you do want a dog immediately leads to
more questions, and to answer them you need to be honest
with yourself. Do you care what other people think? When
it comes to dogs, everyone has an opinion and 90% of those
opinions are founded firmly on ignorance. For some reason
f 89 2
familiar spirits
a lot of people equate the value of a dog with its bulk; large
dogs like Rottweilers and Great Danes are “cool”, while the
toy breeds are “not cool”. You may not cling to this preju-
dice, but you should be aware that other people do. In other
words, if you are insecure about your masculinity, a Pomer-
anian probably is not the breed for you. Only secure, confi-
dent men should own Pomeranians. (This is rarely an issue
for women.)
There is much to be said for choosing a toy breed. They
are great for urban dwellers. I can tell you from person-
al experience that it is far easier to rent an apartment if you have an eight pound dog than if you
prise, then, that dogs are often associated with gods of heal-
ing such as Nodens and Asclepius.
f 87 2
familiar spirits
No animal is better than the dog at establishing a famil-
iar relationship with us. Like us, the dog is a tribal creature.
It has a strong desire to have a safe and secure position in a
pack, even if that pack consists of nobody but the dog and
you. But like other tribal commitments, this is not a relation-
ship to enter into frivolously. A new puppy can be as demand-
ing as a child. It has a lot to learn, and no one but yourself to teach it. Furthermore, it represents a commitment that will
consume the next ten to fifteen years of your life. If you do not think this is a long time, consider where you were ten
years ago today.
Dogs are brilliant animals, but I am consistently amazed
by people who seem to think a puppy is vastly more intelli-
gent than a human being. Time and again I hear of some-
body who has brought home a new puppy, thrown some
newspapers on the floor and then left for work or school.
The story always ends the same way. This person returns
home and is startled to discover that the puppy had no idea
what the newspaper was for. This is akin to expecting a
human child to instinctively know how to use a potty chair
without any training!
If you think you want a dog for a familiar, you need to
first make sure that you understand its needs. Ask yourself
the following questions:
• Can you devote most of your time to the dog for the
first week after you have brought it into your home?
This is especially important for puppies, but a dog of
any age needs help learning the household rules.
• After that first week, can you devote some time every
single day to the dog? I am not talking about dumping
f 88 2
familiar spirits
some food into a bowl; the dog needs to interact with
you. This can be a walk, a game of fetch or just about
any other activity, so long as both you and the dog are
involved with each other.
• Do you have sufficient living accommodations for the
dog? A dog of medium size or larger needs a fenced
yard unless you intend to take it on several long walks
each day.
• Can you afford the medical bills? There will be shots
and preventative pills, not to mention the possibility of
a medical emergency that could cost hundreds or even
thousands of dollars.
• Do you have experience with dogs, and, if not, are you
willing to attend obedience classes with your dog? A
good obedience class is for the benefit of the owner as
much as for the dog, and you should attend one if you
have not already kept dogs in your household success-
fully.
If you answer no to any of these questions, you should
probably consider an animal other than a dog. A dog will
be thoroughly committed to you—which is why they make
such great familiars—but this means you need to be equally
committed to the dog, and that is not a lifestyle that works
for everybody.
Deciding that you do want a dog immediately leads to
more questions, and to answer them you need to be honest
with yourself. Do you care what other people think? When
it comes to dogs, everyone has an opinion and 90% of those
opinions are founded firmly on ignorance. For some reason
f 89 2
familiar spirits
a lot of people equate the value of a dog with its bulk; large
dogs like Rottweilers and Great Danes are “cool”, while the
toy breeds are “not cool”. You may not cling to this preju-
dice, but you should be aware that other people do. In other
words, if you are insecure about your masculinity, a Pomer-
anian probably is not the breed for you. Only secure, confi-
dent men should own Pomeranians. (This is rarely an issue
for women.)
There is much to be said for choosing a toy breed. They
are great for urban dwellers. I can tell you from person-
al experience that it is far easier to rent an apartment if you have an eight pound dog than if you
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