Growing
up my sister and I had every animal we could possibly want, bless my mother,
even though she is a pure animal lover I am sure she felt like she was living
in a zoo/day care at times. Wild bunnies, domestic French floppy ear bunnies,
for a period of time a chipmunk that need a little extra care, again for a
period of time a small wild bird with a broken wing, goldfish, hamsters, a
guinea pig, cats, and of course dogs – my family truly has run the gamut when
it comes to pet ownership. Now that I’m older I can safely say that I am
personally a dog and cat person, but if I had to choose one I would definitely
choose dogs; they are man’s best friend after all.
I'd like to share all my positive experiences and health benefits of owning a dog. However, I will start out by saying that
puppies and dogs are very cute and easy to fall in love with, and make for
wonderful companions, but they are a 10
– 16 year commitment of giving your time, love, and energy to, especially from
puppy age to about age two. Honestly, just because you want a dog does not necessarily
mean it is the right time to adopt one. You want to make sure you are in a
place where you can devote the necessary time and attention to them or be able
to make alternative arrangements such as dog walkers and doggy daycare.
That
said, I have had a dog since the age of 4 and I honestly could not ever imagine
living in the house where there wasn’t a little furry friend walking around. After checking out this PuppySpot graphic I never really thought of the health benefits dogs provide, but have always noticed the love and joy they
add to life. But looking at the graphic I can say without a doubt that dogs
definitely reduce anxiety, reduce feelings of loneliness {because you are never
alone when you have a dog}, help to get more exercise, and I have my fingers
crossed that there is truth to dogs increasing longevity.
Currently
I have a teacup yorkie named Coco, a Cavapoo {Cavalier/Poodle mix} named Ella,
and up until a couple years ago I had a Black Lab named Samantha, and my
childhood dog was Bonnie, an English Springer Spaniel. I can say from first
hand experience that springer spaniels and labs make for wonderful childhood/young
adult dogs and I can also say with 100% confidence that if you have young
children a teacup yorkie or other tinny size dog is probably not for you at
this point in time.
Probably
not the best thing to say {I feel like I am picking a favorite child} but my
lab, Samantha, is probably the dog that I felt most bonded to. I had her from
the age of 12 to the age of 29; I was so obsessed with her when I was younger
that I even made her a baby/puppy book, paw prints and all. She definitely kept
me active from running, playing around with a soccer ball, to practicing my
tennis serve and her retrieving the balls. During the trying years of middle
school {there is seriously nothing worse than a middle girl} she was sometimes
my only friend for a couple weeks here and there, and something about her made
me feel more confident at a young age. Labs are one of the sweets dogs, cutest
puppy hands down, easy to train, but they have a huge amount of energy and
truly have a puppy quality throughout their lives, but they make for the best
family dogs.
Coco and
Ella, a yorkie and cavapoo, are more less high energy dogs {both do however
bark a lot}, and are perfect for the point of life I am currently in. They are
pure companion dogs – they both could spend all day cuddled up next to you, be
happy with a few minutes of fetch here and there, and they both have a giant
personality that is beyond entertaining. There really is nothing like having a
long day and having your dog to come home to to hug on and shower with love, it
is truly amazing how fast they can make anxiety go away. Ella, the cavapoo,
would be a wonderful dog for what ever point of life you are currently in, but
again, a small yorkie like Coco or other tiny dogs are probably not the best
idea for a young family.
If you
don’t already have a dog and you are at a point in life where you are able to
commit to having one , I would strongly look into it. Dogs add so much to ones
life and once you have had the experience of a dog you will never want to be
without a fur covered family member
I'm a huge animal lover and for sure I love dogs, too!
ReplyDeletexx from Bavaria/Germany, Rena
www.dressedwithsoul.com
Animals really do make life that much better!
DeleteLos animalitos son adorables. Me encantan.
ReplyDeleteThank you :)
Delete