Emma the White Dog
Hello Saddlebrooke Progress friends. I’m Emma, your cheerful little white dog in SaddleBrooke. In this column, I share a dog’s-eye view on life by answering thoughtful questions with kindness, gentle humor, and a bit of tail-wagging wisdom.
You can follow more of my adventures and photos on my blog, Life With Emma in the Desert, at emmathewhitedog.com.
Ask Emma:
I’ve heard dogs live mostly in the present. How do they deal with the past and the future?That’s a wonderful question—and one dogs understand very well.
It’s true: we live mostly in the now. Right now smells interesting. Right now you’re here. Right now the sun is warm, the floor is cool, or dinner might be coming. This doesn’t mean we lack memory or awareness—it just means we don’t let time boss us around the way humans often do.
Dogs absolutely remember the past. We remember people who were kind, routines that made us feel safe, and places where good things happened. Sometimes we also remember things that were scary or confusing. Those memories live in our bodies more than in our thoughts. A sound, a tone of voice, or a sudden movement can remind us of something long ago without us “thinking” about it the way humans do.
What’s different is that dogs don’t replay the past over and over. Once something is over, it tends to stay there—unless something in the present brings it back. When dogs have had difficult experiences, what helps most is not talking about the past, but creating new, safe patterns in the present. Consistency, kindness, and patience slowly rewrite those old memories.
As for the future—dogs don’t worry about it.
We don’t lie awake wondering what might happen next week or whether things will turn out okay. We do understand patterns, though. We know when it’s almost time for a walk, a meal, or your return home. That’s not worry—that’s trust built from experience. When good things usually happen, we expect them to happen again.
Living this way is surprisingly peaceful. Dogs don’t regret yesterday or fear tomorrow. We focus on what’s in front of us: your voice, your touch, your presence. That’s where our happiness lives.
Around here in SaddleBrooke, living in the present usually means something simple—like a good walk on the golf course, a friendly pat from a neighbor, or the sound of Dad reaching for my leash.
Humans sometimes say they wish they could live more like dogs. From our perspective, you already can. When you slow down, notice small joys, and give your attention fully to the moment you’re in, you’re meeting us right where we live.
And trust me—we love it when you do.
If you have a question for me, I’d love to hear it. You can email me at emmathewhitedog@gmail.com, mention you saw me in Saddlebrooke Progress, and I just might answer it in a future column.
With love and wagging optimism,
Emma