This week I have dedicated to the dogs. Over this past week I have thought over the things my dog child has taught me and thought I would share them with the world. Though some of these are funny, some of them can be kinda serious, but when push comes to shove, they are some of the best things anyone could learn as a puppy parent:
1. The puppy dog eye thing is real and is highly effective.
I'm not lying when I say that there have been multiple times where I have wanted to do nothing but yell at my dog and punish her for something that she wasn’t supposed to have done (get into the trash, rip up something of mine, accidentally go inside etc.), and yet I couldn’t because she would turn around, have these big puppy eyes that just made me melt and forget that I was even mad that she had done the bad thing and effectively got her out of trouble.
2. Responsibilities I never knew I had.
Being a puppy parent (or a dog owner in general), has taught me a lot about the responsibilities that I didn’t know I had. When couples say that they’re getting a dog to test the waters for a possibility, it's actually the best idea ever because having a dog (or pet in general), is like having a child to care for. I have to make sure that she's eating enough, going to the bathroom when she needs to and is getting the attention she needs and deserves and then some. Also, that means making sure if something is wrong like her/him getting into something dangerous (i.e rat poison) then that means getting the care that a pet needs.
3. Cuddles are always acceptable anytime, any place.
It doesn’t matter if you’re relaxing the day away or writing an article that’s due in nine hours, cuddles are always okay to have! I believe that a cuddle from a dog is the biggest form of an "I love you" that you can receive, so don’t take them for granted.
4. If it fits, it sits.
Dogs will literally mold themselves to fit into a spot they see fit for a perfect sitting/laying area whether that’s squeezing in between you and someone else or literally sitting on top of you. Then they’ll happily plop themselves down and become comfortable (and yes, this goes for both big and small dogs).
5. When it’s quiet and they are giving you more love than normal, it usually means that they’ve done something bad.
There have been many times when my dog has quietly come up to my room and immediately jumped onto the bed and given me more loving than normal. This has lead to me finding something I'm not supposed to in the living room or see trash sprawled all over the kitchen. But alas, like I previously mentioned in number one, those big old eyes have worked against me. So if you see the symptoms, your pup probably has done something wrong somewhere in the house.
6. Whether they are old or young, they are still a puppy.
A puppy is a puppy no matter how old. Yes, I know that as a puppy becomes older they are no longer puppies in certain people's eyes, but over the years of having so many dogs in my life I don’t see older dogs and young pups, but rather puppies that have some mileage on them. Remember they don’t realize they are getting old. They may be an old dog, but inside they still think that they themselves are that young puppy they were the day you got them, don’t forget that!
7. Simba lifting them never gets old.
If you haven’t Simba lifted your puppy child at some point, you are truly missing out on one of the funniest things you will ever witness, especially when you are playing "Circle of Life" in the background. If you don’t know what I mean by Simba lifting, just watch the first couple minutes of Disney’s "The Lion King" and you’ll understand just fine.
8. They listen to what you are saying.
Even when you are ranting in front of them and think that the blank stare you receive is based on not knowing what you are saying, your pups definitely know what’s going down. Dogs are like your best friend that will listen to you rant about how nothing in life is fair but won’t tell you anything that’s bothering them.
9. I never thought the phrase, “Stop licking [insert body part or something weird here],” would become an everyday phrase.
Dogs are a weird specimen. They have the weirdest habits like licking things that shouldn’t be licked. I bet there is not a dog parent on this earth that hasn’t at some point told their dog to stop licking their feet. And I didn’t think that it would become something that I said on the daily when it came to my dog. Dogs are weird like that, but it’s a good weird.
10. Leaving them is one of the hardest things to do.
It doesn’t matter whether you are going to work or leaving to go off to college, leaving a pup behind is one of the hardest things to do. For some of us, it’s like breaking not just one, but two hearts because you have to leave someone that you are with for the longest time and now you can't see them that much because once school starts up, coming home kinda fades away because all of the work you have to do. It’s okay to cry sometimes. Trust me, you are not alone on that one.
11. Coming home to a big puppy smile and a wagging tail is one of the best feelings in the world!
There is nothing like coming home to a pet that is just as happy to see you as you are about seeing them. I don’t even know how to describe the feeling...You know what go what homecoming videos between people in their service being greeted by their dogs that’s what it feels like!
