Our special connection with dogs
- Angie
- May 14, 2017
- 4 min read
Dogs are a man's best friend. But why? - you may ask. How can a four-legged creature be so compatible with a human, dare I say more compatible than humans are with other humans. Because dogs have all the characteristics of what we aspire to be. Dogs are care-free, happy, enjoying the little things, and not having too high expectations because at the end of the day, love is all they need. They don't worry about how they look, or what others think of them, they don't need validation, they just need to be loved.
Loving dogs comes so easy
Dogs are simply lovable. That's why we can get along with dogs (in many cases) more than with people. Dogs don't judge - they aren't capable of that. We are here on this Earth to protect them and care for them. We feel wanted and necessary to their existence. Isn't it wonderful? How can we possibly deserve such magnificent creatures who will love us unconditionally (unless the condition is treating them badly of course). The beauty of a dog is that they need very little from you but give so much in return. We should be more like dogs - setting our expectations a little bit lower, but doing a lot more for others in trying to make them happy.
My German Shepherd
I've always dreamed of owning a German Shepherd. Ever since I was little, that breed of dog would bark authority, power, respect, loyalty and strength. German Shepherds are, in my humble opinion, the most beautiful dogs on the planet. One particular pup is extra-ordinary- my 3 year old boy ''Dingo''. (He is not an Australian ''good-aye m8'' sort of dog - Dingo is just his name.)
Dingo is so smart - it's scary actually! He can understand emotions, situations, and can associate certain items such as a suitcase with someone leaving for a long time, as oppose to a small backpack when I'm leaving to go to work.
He is the perfect dog - not because he ''does his job'' of scaring the burglars away (which he has done btw, many many times).
He is perfect because he has a well-developed personality.
Now, before you call me crazy and say that dogs are nothing like humans, hear me out. He is stubborn, sometimes even greedy and rude, happy, disappointed, upset, playful, cheeky, scared, curious, confident, protective and even a little anti-social at times. Now ,if those qualities aren't ''human'' then I don't know what is.
Dogs have evolved over time to become very emotionally-driven beings. You can't not love a dog and expect it to live a fulfilling life - that is the same problem when raising a child. A child is not going to be emotionally independent if its feelings and emotions weren't validated and cared for during childhood.
Here is a slideshow of how Dingo has grown over time...
Dealing with death
A few years before I was born, my parents took in a dog from a shelter who was going to get put down that same day. It's a heart-breaking story because I believe that every being on the planet deserves to have a dignified and decent life full of opportunities to loved and be accepted, as oppose to being killed because someone didn't want you. I came to England at the age of 9 and my beautiful cross-bred ''Diana'', was too old to come to England with us as it was simply a low-value investment (the cost of getting a quarantine - back in the day when they were required, was so high that we could simply not afford it). She died at the age of 16, when I was only 10. I felt like my heart was being ripped from my chest. That was my first heart-break. The first time I felt the loss of someone that I truly loved. I felt like life was unfair from that moment on, because bad things shouldn't happen and when you love someone they shouldn't leave you.
Dealing with a dog's death can be as difficult as dealing with a death of a family member (of course, it all depends on how close you were with them.) Sometimes I catch myself thinking about losing my precious dog, he is the light of my life and that thought upsets me so much that I often cry. Dealing with loss is a rite of passage, it's part of life and it's definitely not under our control. Life is about peaks and troughs.
My good friend always says ''The night is darkest just before dawn''. There must be a silver lining somewhere - we have our dark days and our bright days. What I like about this metaphor is that life keeps on going - we're constantly changing, so are our situations, and relationships so nothing is ever certain. But we won't stay in the dark for long because soon the dawn shall come.
Why you should get a dog
It's not a difficult question really...because we need dogs. We need someone to care for, we yearn to be wanted by someone, for someone to always love us, and be so excited when we come home after a long and tiresome day at work.
However, getting a dog is not just everything rosy. It's a commitment to give that dog the best years that they will have on this planet. The need exercise, proper food and water, shelter, toys and most importantly be given love and affection. They need to feel love in order to love - although I would argue that dogs are born as loving creatures already as many dogs can still love after being abused by previous owners for years on end. So yes, I take this whole dog business seriously, because I value life and I believe that every animal deserves a decent and fulfilling life.
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All photographs belong to me.
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