Feng Shui Dog

Yes, Dieter is a German dog. But somewhere in his genes, he must have some Asian roots. I am convinced this dog is a practitioner of Feng Shui--the Chinese philosophical system of harmonizing our environments to balance the energies of spaces and places. This then assures health and good fortune for individuals (and, evidently, animals) inhabiting those spaces.

I have had a wooden cat sculpture that sits on the hearth in our family room. It looks nice and cozy there. But Dieter always moves the cat. I typically find it lying on its side on the carpet, in front of the fireplace bricks. In this picture, Dieter is snoozing comfortably on the couch and the wooden cat is on the floor where Dieter says it belongs (it's the tan-colored object behind Dieter's kennel door, lying in front of the bricks). Dieter is comfy because he has done his Feng Shui thing and arranged the family room so that the energy is flowing freely in the room. It is flowing through Dieter, too, hence the comfy countenance.

Another thing Dieter does is tip his bowl of food over. When he comes in from outside he walks over to his food mat, the paw goes out toward the food bowl, there's a clanging sound, and he's dumped his kibble on the floor by his bowl. It took me a while to figure out this was also a Feng Shui exercise. Here I thought he was just a slob. Or just being irritating. No, I think he's been doing more than just flinging kibble: he's using his innate aesthetic capabilities to create balance and harmony in the kitchen. Note that in addition to a line of carefully placed kibble and the bowl in just the right place near the door, his toys are also arranged properly.

Experts on Feng Shui say that in order to lead a healthy, happy, and successful life, one must make their environment work for them by practicing Feng Shui. Good to know Dieter's got my back on this!