Why Indoor Plants And A Golden Doodle Are Good For You

A window sill full of plants and a cuddly fur ball at your feet. Welcome to the world of plants and pets for life lessons in interspecies harmony. A golden doodle has come to stay.

Puppy Love

As if living with a myriad of plants was not enough, I joined the gift of pet love club. The puppy munch kin of choice is a golden doodle, a breed chosen for its amazing people friendly qualities, which include: intelligence and willingness to assist. Qualities which I hope will be put to good use when he is trained as a therapy/service dog.

Mr. Cuteness

A very sweet puppy who wants to play, play, and play. Crate training is going well, as this fast learner loves his kibble treats. There are lots of online instructions readily available to help you teach the basic commands until you decide on formal training.

In his book John Grogan, Marley and Me: Life and Love With the World’s Worst Dog (Public Library) sums up the relationship on has with “Man’s best friend”.

“A dog doesn’t care if you are rich or poor, educated of illiterate, clever or dull. Give him your heart and he will give you his. It was really quite simple, and yet we humans, so much wiser and more sophisticated, have always had trouble figuring out what really counts and what does not.

John Grogan, Marley and Me: Life and Love With the World’s Worst Dog

So far so good, the six month old munchkin is settling in well. Indoor plants have been checked for plant safety. Some raised to higher ground to avoid the investigative skills of a keen nose belonging to an inquisitive puppy. Engagement and distraction are good but you can’t always be there.

Outside there is a dedicated area for number two, and thankfully night time visits to the spot are becoming less frequent. It is far from the vegetables and flowers. Am I tired from the morning runs, the extremely loud barking? Absolutely. Would I do it again? Of course!

Plants in the house

The many benefits of plants in your habitat have been well documented, and scientifically proven. In fact, scientists are taking this into space exploration. NASA’s Human Research Program (HRP) is looking into the psychological benefits of space gardening for astronauts on long haul space trips.

Benefits of Caring

I have previously outlined the many benefits of having plants in your habitat here. They are the same for pets. Some of the key advantages are:

• Companionship
• Patience
• Tolerance
• Stress relief
• Nurturing
• Exercise

When we care for plants and pets we care for ourselves. Our positive energy is raised. It is like a meditation enhancing our wellbeing. It is the foundation for increased awareness of what we really are as beings of love.

“Your intuitive powers increase when you are with plants because your mind is silenced and you become more aware in the present moment.”

 Sanchita Pandey – Indian singer, composer, lyricist

During the pandemic there was a surge to have the companionship of either plants or an animal. This was to help overcome the mental fragility caused by so many unknowns at the time.

The animals shelters were often left with only the most difficult to place animals. Dog breeders could not keep up with demand and set higher prices for puppies. Stores which had never sold plants before began to stock them and they flew off the shelves.

Plant allies are silent watchers. They look after us as much as we look after them. Plants have a way of taking you into zone of recovery. Thich Nhat Hanh, (October 1926 -January 2022) explores the idea of plants as Dharma in his 2005 book Being Peace (Public Library)

The human species is a very young species-we appeared on the
Earth only recently. Before that, we were rock, we were gas, we
were minerals, we were single-celled beings. We were plants, we
were trees, and now we have become humans. We have to recall
our past existences. This is not difficult. You just sit down and
breathe and look, and you can see your past existences. When
we shout at the oak tree, the oak tree isn’t offended. When we
praise the oak tree, it doesn’t raise its nose. We can learn the
Dharma from the oak tree;

BEING peace – thicH Nhat hanh

Ask Horticultural therapists, The Canadian Horticultural Therapy Association defines one of two types of the plant based therapy as:

Therapeutic Horticulture (TH) is the purposeful use of plants and plant-related activities to promote health and wellness for an individual or group. (CHTA).

We are promoting our own healing, a drug free therapy program where love is the drug, and we can take as many hits as we like without destructive consequences. Maybe there is the urge to buy another plant, when you know you really have enough, or just one more toy for the fur ball that he really doesn’t need. Like anything else, balance is always the key to success and that is the lesson we learn.

Safe Plants for Pets

Here is a list of just some of the okay around pet plants. You make be surprised that many of the plants we take for granted are not pet friendly.

Plants have to protect themselves in their natural environment and many produce toxins for this role, which will repel predators. We have to be careful for ourselves and our pets. No one wants to end up with a nasty allergic reaction caused by a houseplant.

Here are some of the most common ones:

Pothos

Ivy

Dumb cane

Aloe Vera

Dracaena

Peace Lilies

Poinsettia

If you really love a plant that is not so pet friendly, you may be able to keep it out of reach. Just be vigilant, especially with puppies as you know they love to test and taste everything. Mr cuteness got to the Dracaena, but I was quick to remove the captured leaves. He was not happy.

Interconnected Diversity

Humans have learned from watching animals interact with plants in nature. We are all inextricably linked so it benefits us to we treat each other well. Allies on this Earth have been given everything needed to survive and adapt to changes.

Plants and pets are like a funnel to our spiritual nature. Then as if to throw a fly in the ointment we are given free will. We all know how that is working out for us.

We have to contend with the unequal distribution of our resources as well as leadership often using fear and scapegoating to play our natural resources like a confidence trick shell game. Plants and pets help us to check ourselves.

Recap

Plants and pets allow us to deepen our senses and exercise our capacity to extend ourselves. They bring joy and consolation during our most transitory times. They are diverse and accept life and death for what it is: to care, share, love and be loved. Repeat.

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If you have any issues with your pet taking something toxic you can call:

The Pet Poison Helpline is a 24-hour animal poison control service available throughout the U.S., Canada, and the Caribbean for pet owners and veterinary professionals who require assistance with treating a potentially poisoned pet. (Note: A $65 USD per incident fee applies when calling the APCC)