Thanks, But I think I’ll Just Tell My Dog About It

I believe in the bond between humankind and canines. I believe in the irreplaceable happiness that a dog can provide for a person or group of people and the unique devotion that can only be seen in the twinkle of a pair of eyes positioned above a shiny nose and drooling mouth. This, I believe mainly because I have felt it myself living with three English Springer Spaniels that are considered more like family than pets .

Living in a society where people flip each other off in traffic because they are far too much in a rush to put up with someone driving speed limit makes having a dog feel refreshing. People can just be so incredibly hard to deal with for no reason sometimes. Some days it gets so bad that it seems the world is just on fast forward, with no one really slowing down and accepting the pace at which things are naturally going. People are so unbelievably impatient, whether it is while driving or even waiting in line at the grocery store. It is when I come home from just a simple errand, or being at a friend’s house where things finally start to go the right pace again just because Jake, Lilly, and Charlie are not going to complain about how long I took to get home. They are merely going to rush up to me and demand the kisses that could have been given had I been there all day, and I am absolutely fine with that.

There is an unidentifiable feeling of peace that I experience just being aware of the fact that my dogs put up with anything and everything that I do, whether it is good or bad, the best decision or the worst. There are no ridiculous standards that I must fit. Even the days where I feel like singing as loud and as obnoxiously as possible I know I can look at the couch and know that Lilly is snoring right through it. Had there been any one of my friends around I would have been told to shut up the second I began.

Days where I feel terrible, I know I can just sit on the floor and prepare for their inevitable and predictable tactics in making me smile. Lilly will waddle up and roll over exposing her gigantic belly that never really shrank back after pregnancy. Next, Jake will demand kisses until he realizes that I cannot possibly hold my breath any longer from the unidentifiable scents that emit from his aging mouth. Lastly, Charlie will shimmy over with his toy of choice and growl “ferociously” taunting me almost as if he thinks I’m actually jealous of his possession. I value the fact that unlike most people they will not pry about why I am feeling down, they will only make me feel better and that is usually all I need.

This sort of bond that they provide is entirely different than those shared between person to person in everyday life. There is just an entirely different sense of comfort that I get just being around them and I feel that I am incredibly lucky to have that in my life.