"High D's" and Dogs

"High D’s" and Dogs
By Julie Rahm

My husband, John, and I just had another exchange that beautifully illustrates the differences in our personality styles and why we need each other. Our friend, Sarah, called and John happened to answer. Sarah works for a veterinarian in town and wanted to know if we would like to adopt a dog. John simply said, “No, thanks” and said goodbye.

I asked John who called and what they wanted. John answered me, and then I proceeded to ask him a litany of questions… “What kind of dog? Is the dog male or female? How old is the dog? Whose dog was it? How did the dog come to need a home?...” Of course, he could not answer any of my questions. He said none of my questions mattered, because we were not going to adopt the dog.

I’m thinking that is true; however, I might come across someone who would like to adopt the dog. How can I sell them on the dog if I know nothing about it? If someone does not adopt the dog it will end up at the animal shelter and could die an early death.

You’re probably thinking that this dog is not my problem and really has nothing to do with me, and you would be right. John reminded me not to distract myself from my own goals by taking on someone else’s problem. Although I know better, that's an old habit of mine that resurfaces from time to time.

My exchange with John shows our differences so well. He is task-oriented and I am people-oriented. He makes decisions based on facts and data. I tend to be more naturally emotional about decisions. He wants the bottom line – do not waste his time! I want to talk about things.

Together we make a balanced team. We each possess qualities the other would like to have. Together we make better decisions and have amazing synergy - a true blend of the best of our personality styles.