Do We Even Deserve Dogs?

I’m not sure about you, but I often wonder if we even deserve dogs. They’re possibly the greatest thing on the planet. I think all animals are wonderful, I absolutely LOVE them, but dogs just seem to be on an untouchable level for me. The way they’re always happy to see you, love to play, love to cuddle, and just want to be there with you.

My dog, Harper, is the kindest, happiest dog I've ever met. But here’s the thing...everyone feels like that towards their own dog. So, I think it’s fair to agree that they’re all the best.

My dog didn’t have the happiest story to begin her life. She’s a rescue dog from Panama. I was living there from 2016 to 2020. It just so happened that I noticed a social media post about this cute little dog downtown in Panama. She was found tied up in a garbage bag at the dumpster. It was garbage day and the garbage collector happened to notice one of the bags moving before throwing it into the back of the truck. Sure enough, he opened it up and there was a 3 month old dog drenched in moisture from how hot it was (and always is in Panama). He took the little dog to the nearest business and they ended up posting her on social media to find her a home. That’s how I found her. I wanted her instantly. She looked so happy, even on the day she nearly lost her life. That’s the thing about dogs. They’re so pure at heart. She was just grateful to be outside of that garbage bag. When I was able to take her home, we still had a lot of work to do for her health. She was covered in fleas and ticks, was missing patches of hair from different parasites, and nothing was in normal range on her bloodwork results. She was very malnourished. But yet, she was still happy and seemed so grateful. After about 2 months, she was in tip top shape, as healthy as can be. She wanted to do nothing more than just play and just be with me.

“A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself.”– Josh Billings

With dogs, there’s no judgement. They don’t care who you are or where you’re from, what you do for a living, if you’re good looking, who you date, what car you drive, your sexual orientation, or anything. They’re just happy to be with you. To me, that’s remarkable but yet so simple. Why can’t we be more like them?

There’s nothing more toxic and damaging to the planet, and all living things, than humans. We’re the cancer that plagues our world. There’s a lot of good people out there, which is comforting, but when something bad happens it’s almost always caused by humans.

And on a smaller note, we let things get out of hand in a lot of ways. For example: Yelling at others in traffic, saying something mean to a loved one when we’re angry, comparing ourselves to others, looking down at or judging other people, among so many other things. I’m guilty of slipping up and doing this. We all are, but there’s no need for it.

I think dogs were placed on earth to help ground us. They help us see the important, simple things in life, rather than the materialistic and unnecessary. They help us calm down when we’re angry. They help bring us closer together. They help us out with all the stressors we have going on in our lives. They help put a smile on our face when we’re sad. They’re always there for you no matter what the situation.

“Dogs’ lives are too short. Their only fault, really.” – Agnes Sligh Turnbull

I’ve had Harper for about 2 years now. I remember thinking that I was saving her, but it was completely the other way around. She saved me. She’s made me into a better person overall. She’s helped me get through anxiety. She’s helped me get through depression. She’s helped me get through a divorce. She’s helped me put a smile on my face every single day since getting her. She’s taught me that the things that matter most in life are your health, family, friends, your happiness, and being a good person. All of the other “fluff” doesn’t matter. I realize this more and more every day. I now choose eating well and exercising over stress. I now choose real friends over toxic ones. I choose being happy rather than another stressful job that makes $5 extra an hour. I choose kind words over mean ones when I’m upset. I could go on for days.

In my opinion, we owe a lot to dogs. And by “a lot” it really just means to spend some good, quality time with them, give them good belly rubs, bring them outside to play, and give them as much attention as you can. They really aren’t looking for anything else.

With dogs on our side, I really like our chances of taking on anything.

Do you have any dogs or animals that you feel the same about?