Dogs are Amazing

I love dogs. Dogs have so many qualities that I can relate to. They’re pack animals, which means, like most humans, they thrive as part of a group. They’re very interested in their human companions. (Some of us think of ourselves as owners.) They want to please us. They’re loyal and playful and just fun to be around because, unlike people, they aren’t preoccupied with things that don’t have to do with the present moment.

There is so much variety in dogs too. There’s a breed to please just about everybody from the toy dog group that includes such cuties as the Chihuahua and Maltese all the way to the Irish Wolf Hound and Great Danes.

Whether your dog is tiny or huge, it’ll need lots of love and attention. Training and socialization are important parts of having a healthy, happy dog. Of course grooming, exercise, and regular visits to the vet are important too.

Did you know that some dogs, such as Bearded Collies, will laze around inside all day, appearing to be low energy dogs, but the minute you get them outside, they’re dynamos that keep going like the Energizer Bunny. This works well for someone who, for example, has a home office and wants their dogs quiet inside, but who likes to go outside and play with their dogs for breaks in their sedentary routine.

It has been said that a dog wants to please you while a cat could care less, and that dogs are devoted and loving and selfless. I’ve found all those to be true. Not the part about cats, but all my dogs have been devoted, loving and selfless.

Once, just to see what would happen, my grandfather pretended to punch me in the arm. My Westie, who I was holding, snarled and leaped at my grandfather! He and I were surprised, but pleased, with the dog’s response. It meant she would watch out for me, and she did for 14 years until her death in 1994. She was a terrific campanion.