Remember, we are more than one archetype. If you haven’t read my information about archetypes, please read this first.
The highly esteemed Hero! Dogs like Lassie and St. Bernards might come to mind, or Rin Tin Tin and Joey, and for good reason. These dogs are faithful and loyal, and that creates acts of heroism. The five top dog breeds recognized for heroic acts are Collies, German Shepherds, Golden and Labrador Retrievers, and Newfoundlands. It is their loyalty to family members that inspires them to go into a burning house or jump into a lake to save someone. But of course, any breed, or species, can be a Hero!
The animal Hero is similar to a human hero, in that they do something for the good of someone else, and not for personal recognition.
You’ll recognize your Hero as they may seem very focused on you; even when out playing with other animals or at a distance, they still have an eye or ear on you and know what’s going on.
When a Hero isn’t feeling fully satisfied, they may go overboard a bit and pick fights to prove their worth and ability, so keep an eye on that if you find one of your pets picking fights. If there are two heroes in a house, it’s possible they’ll have conflicts and get into trouble, so always train and reinforce collaboration.
On the flip side, seeing a family member in trouble and not being able to act on it can also cause distress for a hero, for example if they’re crated or on the wrong side of a door. If these situations are common in your home, try to find a way that they can be available to do their job.
Cats are just as likely to be a hero as a dog, or any other species. You may have seen the cat Tara attack a dog that was biting her boy, or heard stories of pets’ waking their people up in house fires or when someone is having a medical emergency.
You can play rescue games with your hero dogs by setting up obstacle courses to get to you. Also, perhaps the most obvious job for a hero would be a Search and Rescue dog.
As I said earlier, being a hero is usually tied to a sense of loyalty and concern for another, so we see this mostly with domesticated animals, but I believe it happens in the wild too – many animals are prone to fight for their family.
That’s how we are, and that’s how the animals are: different archetypes emerging at different times. Pay attention to the strongest qualities that your animal shows, and remember to play up or down the different qualities as needed.
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