What Dogs Can Teach Us

By Amy Bennett | October 28, 2019

I’m a dog person. Either you are, or you’re not. I get it. If you’re not, you may not want to read this blog. But perhaps you should—dogs are wonderful! I have a wacky, energetic, and loveable sheepadoodle puppy named Francine, pictured here on the right.  

When I lost Daisy, my Old English sheepdog, earlier this year, I wasn’t sure I’d get another dog. That thought didn’t last long! The minute I saw Frannie, she stole my heart. I just can’t imagine life without a dog. 

I’ve had a dog since I was seven. Before Frannie and Daisy, we had Sophie, an Airedale. Before Sophie, we had Tucker, a sheltie. And before Tucker, we had Samantha (named after the main character on “Bewitched”), who was a boxer.

There are also quite a few dog lovers in our department at work. Lesley has Jasper and YJ. Kyle has Marvin. Tennille has Rocky. Melanie has Eli. Kristin has Jalen. Sandi has Zimba, and a grand-puppy named Murphy.

Dogs offer us loyalty, companionship, and unconditional love. Every good relationship (with a human or a canine) requires time and commitment. Dogs are a lot of work, they require attention, and they can cost a lot of money, but they can also teach us a trick or two.

Love unconditionally

Dogs love us unconditionally. No matter what kind of day we’ve had or how we’ve acted toward them, they always love us. Humans take note—dogs may sulk for a few minutes, but they don’t hold grudges. 

Play hard, but make time for rest

As I was raking leaves this weekend, there stood Frannie with her new stuffed giraffe. Didn’t she know I was busy? Maybe yes; maybe no. Either way, she didn’t care. She just wanted to play. Dogs live in the moment; we humans tend to forget to do that. Dogs also know when they’ve had enough. Frannie was pooped or bored after 10 or 12 throws of her toy, and she just crashed in the grass and fell asleep. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could do that?

Sometimes words are over-rated

Most of the time, we know exactly what our dog wants just by a look, a head nod, or a wag of the tail. Sometimes, we humans need to just listen more and talk less. 

Be adaptable

Dogs are very good at adapting to their environment, and they’re always willing to change their plans. Daisy never once turned down a car ride or a walk around the neighborhood even if she had planned to nap all day.

Show compassion

Dogs are full of love. They don’t judge. They’re happy when we are happy, and they immediately want to help comfort us when we are upset or sad. What a wonderful lesson!

Wouldn’t our world be a whole lot better if we would all show a little more humanity and compassion?