The Story Behind Love is Just a Wag Away 

– Steve Siler

Carmen Leal has been a friend of Music for the Soul for many years.  We first connected in the early 2000’s when she heard our song Twenty Three. Carmen had written a beautiful gift book called The Twenty Third Psalm for Those Who Grieve. Upon hearing our song it seemed natural that we should partner in doing ministry.

Not long after that we wound up providing music in back to back years for a wonderful caregiving conference Carmen put on in Asheville, North Carolina entitled Someone Cares. 

Later, when we created Dignity: Songs and Stories for Caregivers, Carmen was a consultant and content provider. Fade out….

Fade in where Carmen picks up the story.

Carmen: “What started out as a simple trip home from the beach ended in a five-car pileup started by an uninsured, inattentive driver while we sat waiting at a red light. I suffered a severe concussion from the whiplash, moderate frontal and temporal brain damage, and intractable migraine, and PTSD. My doctor explained that I would have to learn to manage the resulting depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts while my brain healed. He suggested adopting a dog might help.

I was, at best, a dog tolerator. I didn’t hurt dogs or wish them any harm, but how could a dog help with my mental health issues?

Finally, two-and-a-half miserable and hopeless years after the wreck which included a cross-country move from sunny Hawaii to gloomy Wisconsin to live near family, I decided to try a dog. That day we adopted the dog that saved my life. We named him Coconut.

Coconut forced me to get outside, and those regular walks improved my fitness and my attitude. Walking him helped me to meet my neighbors since dogs are people magnets. All of the sudden I wasn’t fighting my battles alone. When I was anxious or depressed Coconut seemed to know and he’d stay close.

People suffering from depression are often low in serotonin and dopamine, and many anti-depressants actually work by increasing serotonin levels in the brain. Now I know that petting him released those two feel-good chemicals and the simple act of petting and cuddling with my dog helped improve my mood.

When I was feeling anxious or depressed or had an intense migraine, Coconut somehow knew. On those days when I was so depressed I didn’t brush my teeth and stayed in my robe, he still loved me. Dogs love unconditionally, so they won’t judge.

After adopting Coconut I started volunteering for our independent dog rescue center NEW PAWSibilities. I asked about freshening the website and logo. I really was a novice dog owner, but even I knew that dogs communicate with their tails, and a wagging tail is just one of the many ways dogs show love and contentment. I played around with what seemed like dozens of combinations of words and came up with the new tagline, Love is Just a Wag Away.”

My good friend back home in Hawaii is a graphic artist and dog lover, and she took my concept and ran with it. It the perfect tagline and logo to build on.

Steve: When Carmen called to ask me about writing a song for NEW PAWSibilities, I knew right away who I wanted to have write it with me. Scott Krippayne and I have been good friends for thirty years. Both songwriters, we’ve written well over one hundred songs together. Not only did I know Scott to be a dog lover, I also knew that he had written the theme song for the popular children’s TV show “Paw Patrol.” I was sure he’d be eager for the opportunity to help support a dog rescue organization.

Scott and I got on a video call with no plan to write the song that day. We were just going to talk about what we thought it should feel like. We immediately agreed that we wanted a positive approach. We thought the song should celebrate the joy that dogs bring into our lives and how they give love enthusiastically and unconditionally.

That’s when we hit on the idea of the dog singing to the potential owner in the first person. We started quoting lines to each other, even imitating the excited canine vocalist with our expressions and tone of voice. Before we knew it the lyric was done.

It didn’t take long to find a happy melody that mirrored the tone of the words. “I guess we’re writing it today,” Scott said, smiling as we wrapped up our call.

Carmen continues, “Scott and Steve didn’t just write a song; they wrote a masterpiece.  In the years after COVID all of the sudden everyone wanted a dog. It really was close to mayhem every single day. No one was giving out grants, our small, underpaid staff was laid off, and they all eventually found other jobs. NEW PAWSibilities was also the underdog rescue competing for donations and funding with larger, more established shelters with government contracts. They were the little engine that could until they finally closed their doors in 2022 without ever getting a chance to use the song.

Dogs are even more needed now because of the mental health crisis our country is experiencing.”

Steve: With that in mind I approached Carmen about the idea of making a music video of the song. I felt it could serve two very worthwhile objectives.

First, to encourage people struggling with depression or anxiety to consider how a dog might be able to help them. In an article published by the Mayo Clinic they said owning a dog “improves your overall physical and mental health.” Licensed Professional Counselor Angela Miller says, “The best prescription I can write for trauma survivors, veterans with PTSD, and others with mental health issues, is the healing power of dogs.”

Second, by celebrating dogs with a song about what they add to our lives we could help people understand the importance of  rescuing a dog by adopting from their local shelter. Carmen readily agreed and so we began working on a creating a video to go with the song.

Music for the Soul’s Brian Parker came up with the wonderful idea of having friends and supporters of Music for the Soul share pictures and videos of their beloved pups with us. Then he and and Karl Weidmann of Southern Cabin films pulled all the images together and married them to the soundtrack of the song. The result is something we hope will lead to improved mental health for new dog owners and to new homes for dogs who currently don’t have a family to love.

Let’s give Carmen the last word.

Carmen: “Because of Coconut I have a sense of purpose, more social interactions, reduced pain and depression, can handle stress better, and am able to enjoy life more. Yes, I still have migraines and, like everyone, I have both good and bad days. But when I see, touch, hear or talk to Coconut, I have a sense of goodwill, joy, nurturing and happiness. I’ve come to believe that dogs are at their best when we are at our worst. They not only love us, but they appreciate us, and are grateful for all we have done, and simply are.

Coconut never met the old Carmen. He loves this Carmen more than any person in his world. The pieces of me that needed healing are slowly doing just that and I have a partner on the journey who will never disappoint me.”

Listen to Love is Just a Wag Away and watch the video.

Because of Coconut I have a sense of purpose, more social interactions, reduced pain and depression, can handle stress better, and am able to enjoy life more. Yes, I still have migraines and, like everyone, I have both good and bad days. But when I see, touch, hear or talk to Coconut, I have a sense of goodwill, joy, nurturing and happiness.

Coconut never met the old Carmen. He loves this Carmen more than any person in his world. The pieces of me that needed healing are slowly doing just that and I have a partner on the journey who will never disappoint me.

Dogs are always awesome. But I’ve come to believe that dogs are at their best when we are at our worst. They not only love us, but they appreciate us, and are grateful for all we have done, and simply are.

Coconut, the dog no one else wanted, has helped me to live in the present, to find joy in the most unexpected places, and to find purpose in my life.