Dogs are easily one of the best pets a person can have. I am biased because I am a dog person, but it occurred to me today that my dog knows me better than most people and sometimes better than myself. Napoleon, the Min Pin has seen it all, from the break ups to the punk rock jam sessions when my family wasn't home. Here are six reasons why your dog knows you better than almost everyone in your life.
1. Your dog has seen you naked. Whether you are trying to use the bathroom in peace or changing into your pajamas, your dog has seen it all. From when you refused to wear pants for 48 hours to the time you ran out of clean underwear.
2. Your dog has heard you sing. You are home alone, or so you think. So you belt out some bars of your favorite song. No one can hear you, right? Wrong. Your dog can hear you and he will love you whether or not you can sing.
3. Your dog has seen you cry ugly tears. Ugly tears are the tears that come during a really hard time. The ones that cause you to lose your breath and give you the facial expression of someone who just tried a Ghost Pepper. Despite how unpleasant it is to be around someone when this is happening, your dog will comfort you anyway.
4. Your dog has heard you talk to yourself. Everything from saying random things while you do chores to cursing at yourself for forgetting something, your dog heard it but he's not judging you.
5. You can vent to your dog. You can tell your dog everything that is going on in your life and they will love you just the same. Your dog knows about why you broke up with your ex, why you fought with your parents, and that time you hid chocolate frosting in your room as comfort food
6. Your dog knows your most authentic self. There is no pressure to be anything but yourself with your dog. The most real you is the you that your dog sees. Dogs will love you unconditionally no matter how weird you are when your favorite Aaron Carter song comes on or how bad you were when you first decided to play guitar.
Dogs are a life changing pet. They are excited when you come home, even if you were only taking the trash out. While they know just about everything about you, dogs can teach us about life as well. Everyday, they are happy. Many dogs have less than perfect lives, yet they are still ecstatic at every little thing. Perhaps their cognitive processes are much different than ours, but it is still a great way to strive to live: to let all of the bad roll off your back and smile regardless, to always be excited, to be quick to forgive and forget. Not only do our dogs know more about us, they also know more about how to live. They exist in the present and give every ounce of love and happiness in that moment.
