I must put out some sort of vibe that says "easy mark!" or "softy!" because I am a target....for people's animals. Or maybe it's just dogs, and dogs are notorious attention seekers, right? Seems like no matter where I go, if there is a dog they will come to me and present me their butts for a good scratching.
We stopped at a shop the other day where they sell chainsaw carvings as well as things from other artists like soaps and small carved ornaments. Lovely shop up Hwy 22 in Mehama. As we were looking around the owner came in, covered with sawdust. He was followed by a sweet old golden lab, also covered in sawdust. The dog didn't even hesitate. He came straight over, backed his butt up to my leg and looked at me over his shoulder as if to say "Well, make with the fingernails." Of course, I couldn't turn down such a blatant plea. I mean, haven't you ever had a back itch you couldn't reach and all you wanted was someone with nails to give you a good scratching? In our house "Scratch my back!" is an every day phrase. His human seemed a bit embarrassed and tried to call him away, but he was having none of that. I ended up with dog hair and sawdust covering my pant legs..and I didn't mind a bit.
It's just a little simple affection shared. Animals need it just like people do. It's why we reach out to each other and why we reach out to animals when they are near us. Sometimes I wish that it was as easy with people as it is with animals. It's really not advisable to pet the person sitting next to you on public transportation. You even have to be careful with people you know. I think human beings are conditioned to not seek out touch. It's been over-sexualized. Apparently if you touch someone it means you want to have sex. Hugging has become awkward and holding hands with a friend just isn't done. It's kind of sad.
I would advocate for a world where friends, like animals, can just curl up in a pile together for comfort and companionship. Can you imagine a big pillow pit in front of a big screen television where you and your friends can sprawl out together on movie night? Sounds ideal to me.