Beyond Human Senses

It's been a crazy last few weeks, to say the least. I wouldn't typically like to go more than a week without posting, but a lot has happened since I last wrote. Last weekend I got my wisdom teeth out, which meant lots of snuggle time with Woody and lots of Netflix time with the bf. I'm still swollen like a chipmunk, so I worked from home this morning, which, I think, made Woody one happy pooch.

The previous weekend, we went to visit a friend in Boston. As we waited at our gate with dozens of runners getting ready to run the Boston Marathon, we enjoyed the conversation among us involving anything from pre-race rituals to how good alcohol will taste after they cross the finish line. No one at that gate had any idea about the events that would take place on Marathon Monday and the days following. I still have no idea if the people we were surrounded by before take-off came away unscathed. I only recognized one of them on our way home last Tuesday.

In tragic events like the Boston Marathon bombings, we often find peace in hearing the stories of the first responders, the unlikely heroes and the survivors. Yesterday, 60 Minutes posted a story about the importance of our canine heroes, the ones who go through as intense of trainings as humans, to find the bad things that humans can't see or feel.

Since 9/11, dogs are being used more than ever, because nothing has proven more effective against hidden bombs than the nose of a working dog.

I always knew how important bomb-sniffing dogs and K9 units are to society, but I never knew how intense the training can be or how top-secret the missions entail. As the story shows, these elite dogs use their best sense -scent- to detect dangerous weapons and people that humans could not find by a simple search.

When we think about our heroes, we need to also remember how important dogs are in protecting soldiers and civilians. Though bomb-sniffing dogs were on the scene after the bombs went off last Monday, they were able to provide security and precaution for the humans they were protecting. We often think that guns and other weapons are our best means of defense against the bad guys, but maybe we would see less violence in the world if people chose a more faithful, yet ruthless, companion to watch their backs.