"Adogtery"

I have a confession to make. I cheated on my dog, Freckles. I had a "petting event" with a dog other than my own!! I suppose that would be viewed in dog world as "adogtery." It all began innocently enough when I went for my ritualistic exercise walk. I saw a neighbor walking his dog. I stopped to speak to him and began petting his cute dog. I took it a step further with baby talk calling him a "precious "wuttle" pooch."

My behavior had felt appropriate (minus the baby talk), but when I walked in my house from what I thought was a guilt-free walk, Freckles came running enthusiastically to greet me (in that little way she has). She began sniffing me with an intense ferociousness. I could tell she was tracking down the smell of the "other dog." I felt a pang in my conscience when she looked up at me with pitifully sad eyes, as if to say, "With whom have you been this time?"

Woodrow Wilson observantly said, "If a dog will not come to you after having looked you in the face, you should go home and examine your conscience." Freckles definitely came to me; she just didn't like what she smelled.

Our conscience resides in the prefrontal cortex of our brains which is located in the forefront behind our eyes. It's our inner voice that guides us. It controls our judgment of the choice between right and wrong. Remorse and guilt manifest themselves as pangs that travel way on down to our heart to tug on those strings. It hurts our conscience to know we've caused pain for another person or beloved pet.

I bet you all have had occasion to experience pangs of conscience just doing something as mundane as grocery shopping. You find yourself hurriedly running up and down the aisle looking for your next meal when you suddenly change your menu'"oops, I think I'll make chicken soup rather than chili. Hmm, what to do with those kidney beans? It's so many aisles over and the store is so crowded. I think I'll just let them have a new home on the deodorant shelf. Sometimes, your conscience kicks in and you return them to their proper niche. You justify it thinking that the stocker will discover them. Come on now, you know you have done it at some time.

My father had an extreme sense of conscience. When I was young, my parents took my siblings and me on a family vacation to Florida. After our week long stay, we decided to stop at Sea World on the way out of town to round out the vacation. As my father was pulling out of the Sea World parking lot to head back home, he accidentally scraped the car next to us. He got out to check the possible damage, but was relieved to see that the car was not dented or scratched. So, he got on the interstate headed for the long journey home. We were about twenty-five miles out of town when my father put on his blinker and turned the car around to head back to Sea World. My mother said, "What in the world are you doing? He just said, "I'm not going to feel good about hitting that car unless I go back and leave a note on it with my number and insurance information, just in case they see something awry. That's exactly what he did. He was ready for the long trek home since his conscience was at rest. He never heard from the car owner.

I remember a wonderful "life suggestion" my father used to say that I will pass along: "It's nice to go to bed at the end of the day and know in your heart and conscience that you've been the best and most honest person you could be."

A good night's sleep will follow, along with a clear conscience -- Freckles thinks so, too!