I’ve had a blessed life.  I have been surrounded by animals since before I can remember.  Family photos have me holding cats, dogs, chickens, ducks, rabbits, horses, you name it.  My life has been filled with the love of animals.  Now in my 30’s I have only one animal in my house, the loyal and forever devoted dog.  A canine is the only creature I know who beyond a shadow of a doubt adores people.  Every other pet we have developed just does not hold a candle to how a dog interacts with humans. 

It is interesting to look at formal studies of mans best friend.  Did you know that dogs are the ONLY other being on the planet that can fully understand human body language and emotion?  They read our expressions the same way other humans do, by looking at the right side of the human face for the true underlying feelings that person is expressing (the right side is the innate side a human eye looks to determine emotion in another human).  If dogs are shown a photo of another dog, another animal, they do NOT look at the face, but if you show them a human, they look at the right side to see how that person is ‘feeling’.  I find this very interesting and it really explains how the dog has adapted into our world so fully.  They can and do read us very clear.  It makes you wonder who is the smarter being.   Dogs in general get a free ride if the score the right human family.  Free food, lots of attention and love.  I would say they are the perfect parasite if we humans didn’t get so much in return. 

Studies have shown that people with pets live longer than those without.  Pets lower your stress, lower your health risk, they can lower your cholesterol, they reduce your risk of heart attack, they help you recover from life threatening illness.  People with dogs tend to be forced into more social situations, what better ice breaker than to give a stranger the name of your dog!  People with pets are generally happier than those without.  Dogs specifically give you that unconditional love that humans adore. 

Ben Stein was interviewed on how to get through the recession.  He responded… get a dog!  If you would like to watch the entire editorial, you can here on youtube.

So if you are on the fence about getting a dog, I would give it a go.  I can’t imagine a life without one or more in my lap.  Whether you get your canine friend from a breeder, shelter, or family friend, it will change your life for the better.

Oh the finer things in life... a nap on my mommy. - MERLOT