Dogs covered with sores and maggots are revealed as radiant dieties in disguise. At any time we can be entertaining angels unaware. This helps us put the koan in perspective. For us a dog can be enlightened, no problem. For them, perhaps formal meditation and study of the Sutras was spiritual practice and chewing on rawhide and looking cute was most clearly not spiritual practice.
Trees fare worse than dogs.
Perversely, this makes me feel more hopeful about the dogs. Fortunately, I didn't have to suffer long considering even the possibility that dogs won't reach Ch'ang-an. The author brings her aging dog to a longevity empowerment offered by a visiting lama. Fields is shaken, but she continues up the steps. A blessed rice mixture is flung upon woman and dog alike as the audience bursts into spontaneous applause.