Hi, my name is Emily and I am a crazy dog lady. I have four of them at home – a 10 year-old female schipperke Chihuahua, a 3 year-old female bichon frise maltese, and 1 year-old brother and sister cairn terrier maltese duo. When I am home, most of my days are spent loving on and taking naps with my dogs. They all have different personalities, quirks, and well, they are my family.
As the sayings go, “Dogs are a man’s best friend” and “Diamonds are a woman’s best friend,” but I disagree entirely. I would never choose diamonds over a dog. Dogs, specifically my dogs, are my best friends.
People think that people choose dogs, but that is untrue as well. Dogs choose the people. The only "dude" of the bunch, is my dude. He chose me and decided I was his girl from the first day we picked them up. The rest of them know this and put him in his place when he gets out of hand in a jealous rage.
Dogs are cuddly and compassionate, comforting in every situation, always thrilled to see you, empathetic to your sorrows, funny and fun to be around. They are protectors, they don’t complain, and they are always present. They tend to get into mischief and sometimes they pee on the things you love or fart in your face. They bring you creatures that they’ve killed for you or chew on your shoes. They get in your face when you do not pay attention to them and they don’t understand what could possibly be more important than loving them. They have mastered the art of adorably begging for food, and sometimes they win.
I went home for a day this past weekend and received a lot of these things. I feel it is important for me to explain the event of my arrival at home, because it is not as simple as the cliche, come-through-the-front-door-and-dogs-come-racing-towards-me, oh no.
When I come home the dogs are let out in the backyard until I come through the front door and situate myself comfortably on the floor in the living room, prepared for all the exuberance that they can muster. Mom opens the back door and they come sprinting in as quick as lightning. I see flashes of variously colored furs flying at me and feel four tongues licking me, four tails beating me, and four noses probing me all at once. They run back and forth between greeting me and speeding around the house releasing all of the pent up joyous energy they have been reserving for months. My little dude comes rushing at me first, plopping his little booty right in my lap and refusing to let anyone else receive love but him. His sister sweetly attempts to lick me and roll over on her back until I have a free hand to rub her belly. The oldest dog steps back and waits for the craziness to die down because she knows she doesn't need any of that in her life. The last of the four is constantly by my side jamming her nose in my eye and leaping on me, too excited to let my runt of a dude to dissuade her, because she knows she can take him in a fight.
This ordeal continues non-stop for at least a good half an hour before it calms down. I then spend hours sitting, laying, and rolling on the floor with them, until they get all tuckered out and fall asleep. I come out of this with my clothes covered in hair and somehow the hairs have made it into my nose, mouth, and eyes. But my heart is content and so full of peace.
I live for these welcomed greetings.
As a student who resides on campus, I am deprived of much needed love and affection from any kind of animal besides the occasional stray cat. Often times I daydream about the ways that I could sneak just one of my dogs from home into my dorm room and hide them amongst stuffed animals. Most likely it would be my dude. My justification is that no one would have to know and if people don’t know then they can’t fawn over my adorable dog and I can have all of the love to myself.
I can see it now: leaving my room in the morning would be a much more enjoyable experience and coming back after a long day of classes, meetings, work, and assignments to the ecstatic and constant love of one of my little lovebugs. In reality, I know it would never work, but I’d like to think it would. Voice of reason, please don't crush my dreams.
College is stressful and dogs provide stress relief. The idea of having dogs that are being put up for foster care or adoption placed near university campuses (or on campuses) is totally necessary for both dogs and students. Both need and want love. It is not nearly the same as the affection I would get from my dogs but it is a compromise I am willing to make. College systems, think about it. Is putting a dog foster care or adoption near a university worth it? I think so.
