Everybody poops.
Okay, okay. Not every single body. There are all sorts of creatures who don’t poop, like silkworms, butterflies, sponges, mayflies, and a few others. And, well. Then there are birds, which poop and pee at the same time.
But for the most part, everybody is pooping on this planet.
As far as I know, most humans don’t have any poop rituals. Again, there may be exceptions, I’m sure. But, for the most part, the urge hits, and away we go.
I’m bringing all this up because I have dogs. Good dogs. And the littlest of our two dogs absolutely requires that I escort him outdoors for whatever it might be he feels like doing. It has made me very aware that he has poop rituals. Lou. I see it coming. I know when it will happen by the intro, the early dance, the pattern of moving about.
And when Lou finally comes to the moment of truth, there is an awful lot of rotating and spinning right before he gets his business done. Finally, he locates the right spot, and then the deed occurs.
I’ve mentioned that I have a tendency to wonder. And in this case, I wondered what the heck goes on in that little dog brain of his. Could there be a cause for all the “hoo-ha” prior to the poop? Is there some complex reason for all this circling around, or is it just our good dogs trying to shake things loose?
Various theories have emerged over the years. Some scientists thought it was originally a way of flattening the grass before letting one drop. Others proposed it might be a safety issue. You know, giving a quick 360 to ensure no predators were lurking about. Pooping can put us in a vulnerable position after all.
But, in 2013, a theory printed in the journal Frontiers in Zoology suggested that something more complex was going on. The studies showed that the pre-poop ritual had something to do with our dogs calibrating themselves in relation to the Earth’s magnetic field. Or attempting to do so.
The report said it was similar to when birds use the planet’s magnetic poles to navigate during migrations. Apparently, our dogs use their magnetic instincts to plan where they should plop one.
The people behind this investigation were zoologist Hynek Burda and his team. They spent two years analyzing pooping hounds and watched almost 2000 poop incidents.
So. There is about 20 percent of daylight hours in which the Earth’s magnetic field is stable. During those times, dogs align themselves to be facing either due north or south while dropping their little loads.
However, there are times when the planet has less magnetic stability. When this happens, our pups can’t detect the poles. So, they spin around in circles, and when they can’t find true north or south, they wind up facing any direction.
The report suggests it is all about helping dogs to remember the spot, a highly important priority when they mark their territory.
All I know is that my dogs spin like crazy before giving it their all. And every so often, they wind up facing directly north or south.
Two things come to mind.
One, that was a whole big bunch of investigating just to figure out the spinning poopers.
And two, I wish I shared the dogs, birds, and other animals’ ability to sense this energy. Maybe then, I’d have a better sense of life’s direction.
And I wouldn’t have to turn all those circles in the bathroom every morning.
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“Inner guidance is heard like soft music in the night by those who have learned to listen.”
― Vernon Howard
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“It is a mistake to think that moving fast is the same as actually going somewhere.”
― Steve Goodier
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“My little dog – a heartbeat at my feet.” – Edith Wharton
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They turn and turn and poop and poop.
