If anyone knows me, they know that I have an extreme love for animals. As much as my Dad hates it, we have four dogs, and the last to be brought home was entirely of my doing. I know without a doubt my dad only let me keep that adorable lab puppy not because he felt bad for the dog, but because he knew I needed it at the time, and I did. Duke became my partner in crime in one during the strangest and hardest seasons of my life. Here are just a few of the things my dog taught me:

1. It is important to let someone know that you are happy to see them.

If you have a dog, you know how good it feels to come home and be instantly greeted with a wagging tail and outstretched paw. Their excitement over your entrance is contagious and immediately puts a smile on your face, no matter how you felt before walking in the door. If only people greeted people that way.

Maybe not with quite as much enthusiasm, but with genuine expressions to show how much another’s company and presence is valued. I think we would all be much happier people if we knew we made other people that happy too.

2. Sometimes people just need a hug.

My dog has a 6th sense for detecting my sadness. Whether I’m crying or just not feeling great, he knows, and he puts his head against mine and just sits there like that. There’s definitely nothing he can say to help me, yet he is where I find the most comfort sometimes. Dogs are amazing listeners honestly. Sometimes we as people should take that route- to speak less and love more.

3. You should only bark if it’s for a real reason.

Duke has never been a dog that barks just to bark. When he barks, I know he’s really telling me something- like hey mom there’s a raccoon trying to go through my food. Our world today has so many platforms for so many voices and there are so many people saying so many things constantly. In a lot of ways our improvement in communication has been very beneficial, but in many ways it has also aided a self-consumed, whining society.

Everyone always has something to say and they're always going to say it, whether they should or not. In reality, we communicate much more efficiently if we practice only speaking when something needs to be said.

Duke really is man’s best friend, but whether you have that type of relationship with a dog or not, you can still agree that all of these things are just basic things we complex minded humans seem to forget far too often. If you do have a dog, go give them some love, and thank them for being wonderfully compassionate creatures that we can learn so much from.