No experience can be worse than bad experiences.

Our dog arrived at the shelter as a stray, so no one knew much about him or what kind of life he had before us. We didn't even know his name for three days, trying every dog name we could think of until he responded to Coco.

We've found out that he's anxious about a lot of things: thunderstorms, bicycles, joggers, small children and other dogs, just to name a few. People rushing up to him makes him especially scared, so we fashioned a "Nervous Dog" vest for him out of a t-shirt. (He's a big guy, so it's hard to find dog products that fit him.)

After a bad incident involving him jumping at a little girl when she approached him too quickly, we had to figure out how to work his behavior into a calmer demeanor. We figured he had had some bad experiences in his old life, but our vet suggested that he may have never had experiences at all.

He has warmed up to us because he lives with us, but everything else is still new and a little scary for him.

Being outside is better.

I've loved the outdoors my entire life, but having Coco in my life has really reawakened my love for the outdoors. Seeing him be so happy, smelling everything and loving it, has made me so much more grateful.

I don't know if he was able to be outside a lot in his past life, but with us, he gets to go on tons of adventures — hikes, camping trips and river trips. And little by little, we see his personality grow.

Plus, having a dog has given me way more excuses to be outside — so everyone wins!

You've got to rest to be your best.

We go on lots of adventures with Coco, which means we take lots of naps. My boyfriend and I are pretty active people, but we also definitely value our sleep — and so does Coco. On longer hikes, he plops down during water breaks to take a quick snooze because resting is important.

On nights when my anxiety makes it hard to sleep, Coco calms me down and allows me to rest. He has really shown me how to just be calm and rest — something that I struggle with a lot. Taking time to take care of myself and my dog has really improved my quality of life.

Money can't buy happiness.

Dogs don't understand the concept of money (at least, I don't think they do). When we brought Coco home, we stopped at PetSmart to pick out a toy, but he didn't seem very interested. One of the first days home, we found a softball in the grass in the park next door. This worn out ball became Coco's favorite thing on the planet.

His bed was given to us by an older couple at the shelter who saw us taking him home. It's just an old foam mattress cover, but he loves it more than any store-bought dog bed we could have gotten him.

I've been moving toward a less materialistic lifestyle for the last couple of years, and seeing how little Coco cares about fanciness has really inspired me to keep on with that journey. He still gets treats and new toys though because I am an *extra* dog mom.

Not every day is good, but there is some good in every day.

This picture was taken right after our first vet visit. Coco was poked and prodded, and he had a thermometer put in a place that he was definitely not a fan of. But afterward, he was back to his happy dog self.

There's a saying that goes, "Don't let a bad five minutes ruin a whole day," and Coco has really shown me how to do that. He has bad moments — when he sees another dog and gets nervous and jumpy, when he gets his ball stuck under the couch or when it's too cold outside for a long walk — but he usually still has a goofy, happy look on his face.

When I have a bad day, fail a test or am just stressed out, Coco is there to remind me that life is still pretty good. He's happy with food in his dish, some water and a couch to spread out on. Plus, I've trained him to give pretty good hugs, so I know that no matter what I go through during my day, there's a fuzzy hug waiting for me at home.