You cuddle with them at night or during the day. You baby talk to them and say things like, “I JUST WANNA SQUUUEEEZZE YOU.”
You are not alone. Plenty of people around the globe deal with their reactions to having a dog as a pet and you can get through this.
All jokes aside, dogs really are “Man’s Best Friend” for several reasons.
Our canine companions really know how to make us feel loved. When you have a dog and you come home from work, school, the store, and anywhere else, they greet you with playful barks and a range of crazy motions. They make you feel like you are the most interesting person in the world, and loved. Many people like cats and would say, “Oh, well my cat is happy to see me when I come home!” It’s not the same though, cats are so independent. When you come home, you might not see your cat for hours and they are so silent. While I agree that cats do provide entertainment in funny videos and are incredibly soft, dogs provide more than just a fluffy surface.
Let’s say you are having a rough day, your significant other just ended things with you. You are a miserable, sobbing mess, laying around your house. When you have a dog, it’s almost like they can sense you are in a troubling place and will come to comfort you. They nuzzle a furry head into your lap or hand, or just lay on you until you pet them and let whatever is grieving you fall away. I know from experience: I have a boxer named Sophia and whenever I am in a bad mood she comes and lays her 62-pound body on top of me and takes my mind off whatever has me depressed.
Dogs are also the best workout partners and travel companions. I take Sophia on my runs in the neighborhood and she runs almost the same way as me when we run. At first we are both doing fine and keeping a good pace. Closer to the end we are both breathing heavily and struggling to get up one of the giant hills in my neighborhood. Oddly enough, when I see my dog struggling to finish the last couple of yards, it motivates me to go further. When traveling, dogs can turn a boring road trip into something more interesting. They can keep you awake because you are concerned with how comfortable they are and if they need to stop to use the bathroom.
With dogs, you treat them as if they are your kids, which is probably why people start off with dogs before they begin the journey of having kids. For me, my dog makes my house feel like home, and loved when I feel lonely. I’m sure I sound like a crazy dog lady, and maybe I am, or will become one in my late 60s. But, dogs really do love humans as much as we love them, and I am happy to call my dog my best friend.
