To Walk a Pagan Path: Practical Spirituality for Every Day (13 page)

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

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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 have an eighty pound

dog. A smaller dog is less expensive to feed, less expensive

to medicate and much easier to carry to the car if it has a

seizure and you need to rush it to the emergency veterinary

office at three in the morning. Any problem you can have

with a dog is directly proportionate to its size, which is why

many toy dogs are poorly trained. If little Fifi tinkles on the living room carpet it is probably because her “mommy” really does not mind all that much. That sort of thing would sim-

ply not be tolerated if Fifi were a Saint Bernard! The truth is, a toy dog can be taught to behave as well as any larger breed.

If you do not believe me, attend an obedience show where

you can see Chihuahuas, Yorkies and Toy Poodles do amaz-

ing things in the ring.

What about hair? Do you enjoy combing and primping

and grooming? If not, avoid a breed that requires this. A well

groomed Yorkshire Terrier is a beautiful animal, but its beau-

ty is the result of constant care. Professional grooming is an

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option, but it is also an additional expense, which may or

may not be an issue for you.

Activity level is another important consideration. If you

are not an athletic person, avoid athletic breeds like the Siberian Husky, the Australian Shepherd or the Whippet. These

are wonderful animals, but they are not going to be content

lying in front of the television all day. (I know somebody is

going to protest that his Whippet does nothing but watch

soap operas. There is always an exception to the rule.)

If you want the dog to be your familiar spirit—if you

honestly want to develop and nurture that
familiar
relationship—your best choice is an animal with a personality and

needs similar to your own. What the dog looks like should be

your very last consideration. It does not matter that you like

the appearance of a Bullmastiff if that breed is not compat-

ible with your needs. Do your research, and let appearance

enter into the equation only after you have narrowed down

your search to two or three breeds.

Likewise, Pagans can be tempted to select dogs based on

cultural origin, but this is a mistake. A Saluki is not the best dog for every Kemetic Pagan, nor is the Irish Wolfhound a

good choice for every Celt. Cultural origin ranks way down

there with appearance when it comes to choosing a breed.

What about a mixed breed? The advantage of a mixed

breed is that the dog will be (or should be) much less expen-

sive than a purebred dog. The disadvantage is that you do not

know what you are getting. Even a so-called “designer dog”

is pretty much a genetic grab bag. A Labradoodle is part Lab-

rador Retriever and part Poodle, but which parts did you get?

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The dog may have received the best qualities of both breeds,

but it is just as possible it may have received the worst.

Unlike the designer dog, which is the intentional cross of

two known breeds, most mixed breed dogs are of dubious

parentage. This is even more of a grab bag. The dog might

be referred to as a Collie-mix or a Beagle-mix, and the “mix”

suffix means that nobody has any idea who the father was.

It is extremely important to know exactly what you want

in a dog if you are considering a mixed breed, because the

physical and temperamental traits will not be clearly laid out

for you the way they are with a purebred dog. Try to spend

some time with the animal, alone, away from any littermates

and preferably from any distractions. Does the animal
feel

like a familiar spirit? Does the dog pay attention to you? If

it is a puppy, pick it up and hold it on its back, as you would a baby. Puppies will almost always object to this at first, but it should calm down after a few seconds if it trusts you as a

familiar should.

I highly recommend that you obtain your dog from a

breeder (if a purebred) or a shelter (if a mixed breed). The

worst place you can get a dog is from a pet shop. The best pet

shops are aware of this and no longer sell puppies at all. In

stores where puppies are still sold, no matter what the sales-

man tells you, it is highly unlikely that the puppy in the win-

dow came from a reputable breeder. Responsible breeders

who care about their dogs simply do not permit their pup-

pies to be displayed in shop cages for passersby to gawk at.

The puppy in the window probably came from a puppy mill

where adult dogs are kept in miserable conditions for the sole

purpose of producing live “merchandise”.

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When you go directly to a breeder, you have the opportu-

nity to meet the puppy’s mother. (If the mother is not on the

premises, leave immediately. Something is amiss.) The father

may or may not be present, but your puppy should still be

with its mom. The breeder should be willing to answer any

questions you may have, and ideally will ask
you
a few questions. Good breeders want to know something about who is

taking their puppies. Do not be offended if the breeder asks

about your home, how many hours a day you will be gone

and so on. These questions are evidence that the breeder has

the puppy’s best interest at heart. It means your puppy was

bred by someone who cared very much about it.

If you go to a shelter you should also ask questions and

expect reasonable answers. A good shelter will tell you every-

thing known about the dog’s history, and should let you

spend some time alone with the animal before you make

a decision. After all, they do not want you to bring the dog

back so it is in their own best interest to match you with an

animal that you will enjoy living with.

It is a compassionate gesture to adopt a shelter dog, but

you must be even more careful in your choice if you intend

the animal to become your familiar spirit. With the excep-

tion of newborn puppies, every shelter dog has a history, and

it may take months or even years for a dog that has been tor-

mented and abused to enter into a familiar relationship with

any human being. It is not my intention to discourage any-

one from adopting a dog from a shelter. A shelter dog can

and should become a great companion, but the odds of this

happening will be greater if you choose the animal careful-

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ly and learn as much as you can about it before bringing it

home.

The 16th century witch’s familiar, regardless of species,

was tamed by feeding it milk, chicken or bread (Murray, p.

84). I question how effective this is with toads, which, in my

experience, take very little interest in bread, but it is certainly the best way to initiate a familiar relationship with your

dog! Food is a universal language, signifying comfort. Profes-

sional dog trainers always use food as a part of their process.

Food is a means of communicating to your dog that you are

a source of security and fulfillment.

Unfortunately most people feed their dogs with the same

disinterest that they refuel their automobiles. The typical dog owner fills a bowl with dry kibble and leaves it on the floor

all day. Thus the food has no meaning.

Begin feeding your dog immediately when you first

bring it home, but not in a bowl. Sit before your household

altar with your dog next to you. Take a bit of food and offer

it to the dog with your fingers. Speak its name, praise the

dog when it takes the food, and then give it another small

piece. If the dog snaps at your fingers, do not scold it; simply remove the food. Only allow the dog to have the food when

taking it gently from your hand.

Look at everything that is happening as you do this. The

dog is learning its name. It is learning that sitting quietly

beside you at the altar is a good thing. It is learning that you are the source of good things (food). It is learning that good

things are more accessible when taken politely. In essence, it

is learning to have a comfortable, familiar relationship with

you.

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After a few days of this, your dog should be ready for its

first short ritual. Have a small piece of food that can be easi-ly divided, and that both you and your dog will enjoy. A piece

of chicken or cheese works well for this, or a small piece of

bread if you are vegan.

In this ritual you will be presenting your new famil-

iar to a deity. If you already have a close connection with a

god or goddess, addressing that deity is entirely appropriate.

Otherwise, direct your words to a deity within your cultur-

al pantheon who has an affinity for the canine spirit. Some

examples:

Culture

Deity(ies)

Anglo-Saxon

Woden

British

Nodens

Egyptian

Anubis

Hellenic (Greek)

Artemis or Asclepius

Irish

Lugh

Norse

Odin

Roman

Diana

Sumerian

Bau

Welsh

Gwyn ap Nudd

Of course you should embellish the ritual with the words,

symbols, gestures and actions that are culturally appropriate

for your spiritual orientation. As a Saxon Pagan, I would

begin by carrying fire around the perimeter of the ritual

area while asking Thunor to bless and sanctify everything

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within that space. Then I would offer some ale or mead to

Woden, pouring it as a libation.

A Hellenic Pagan would begin by washing his or her

hands, kindling a fire on the altar and offering an opening

prayer to the goddess Hestia before directly addressing Arte-

mis (or Asclepius).

Once you have created a sacred space that reflects your

spiritual paradigm, and have your dog sitting or lying calmly

at your side, say to the deity:

(Name of Deity), behold this familiar spirit.

Look well upon this fair creature who I name

(Name of Familiar).

Grant me the wisdom to know his mind,

and the compassion to know his spirit,

That I might honor you with greater

strength and understanding.

Now take the food you have brought to the ritual and

tear it into two pieces. Say:

Fur and skin,

The same within,

By moon and by sun

The two are made one.

Give one piece of the food to your dog and eat the other

piece at the same time. Try to look into your dog’s eyes as

both of you take in the same food; as you take in the same

essence. Eye contact is good if it is natural and voluntary, but f 96 2

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do not force the dog to meet your gaze. For a dog, forced eye

contact is a threatening action.

You may spend a few minutes in quiet contemplation

with your familiar, but do not extend this too long. This

should be a positive experience for both of you, so bring the

ritual to its conclusion before the animal loses interest. Finish by closing the circle, or thanking the kindred or giving a piac-ular offering; whatever is appropriate for your spiritual path.

Just as you establish a cycle of reciprocity when giving an

offering to the gods, you can nurture a similar cycle with a

canine familiar every time you offer it food. After your dog

has learned “sit”, ask it to do so when you are preparing its

meal. The dog should sit and remain sitting until you have

placed the bowl on the floor (or in its stand). There is noth-

ing cruel or even particularly demanding in expecting your

dog to wait politely. If the dog gets out of the sitting position, immediately stop preparing its food. If it does not immediately sit again (and most dogs do catch on to this quite rap-

idly) gently say “sit” as a reminder. The dog will very likely

leave the sitting position as you begin to place its bowl on the floor. When this happens, just stand up again with the bowl