Blog – June 10, 2015
Puppy Love
Never let loyalty and kindness leave you! Tie them around your neck as a reminder. Write them deep within your heart. Proverbs 3:3
Anyone who knows me knows I have always had puppy love…I absolutely love dogs! I’ve been this way since I was little. I have served on the Board of Directors for the Siouxland Humane Society for over 20 years, and I worked for them for five years. Obviously, animals are a huge passion of mine. Right now I’m down a couple and only have two rescue dogs, but I’d like to get that number back up to four! I love having a little pack of dogs greet me when I come home. John isn’t so sure about adding more, however, and I’ve been traveling a lot, so for now we are sticking with two.
Here are just a few of the thousands of reasons I love dogs:
I love that they are always happy to see me, whether I’ve been gone for a week or five minutes. It’s a celebration when I get home!
I love that when I’ve had a bad day or have had my feelings hurt, “Waylon” senses it and stays especially close to me. He knows when I need love and kindness the most, and he is always willing to be there for me. He even gives me kisses when I have morning breath!
I love that when I pet “Willie,” he leans his whole body into mine and flops right down on my lap, all 60 pounds of him! He has some boundary issues, but he’s a total love bug.
I love that dogs aren’t caught up in the things of this world that we worry about. All they truly need are food and water…everything else, like car rides, is a bonus!
I love that when I met “Joey” in Nashville when I was staying with my friend Rachel we became instant friends. I found him lying at the end of my bed the first night I was there. A few good scratches behind the ears was all it took to become the best of friends!
I love the smell of puppy breath. I know that’s weird, but I really do!
I love how when I went through my divorce, my Giant Schnauzer “Nina” never left my side. When I was sitting on the couch having a good cry, she would gently place her head on my lap and look up at me with her big brown eyes that seemed to say, “It’s okay. I will always love you, even if he doesn’t any more.”
I love that dogs can truly be our best friends. When I’ve been at a social outing and felt awkward or left out or rejected by my human friends, going home to my four-legged friends who love me unconditionally always makes me feel so much better.
I love that studies have actually proven that petting your dog lowers your blood pressure!
More than anything, I love that dogs are loyal.
Proverbs 3:3 says, “Never let loyalty and kindness leave you! Tie them around your neck as a reminder. Write them deep within your heart.” If you look back at my list of why I love dogs, it’s pretty clear to me that dogs seem to get what the Bible tries to teach us way better than we do. Loyalty is like breathing to them. They don’t even have to think about it. They just do it naturally.
Loyalty is the selfless part of love. As humans, we can’t help but love selfishly. It’s how we are wired. Dogs can’t help but love unselfishly. It’s how they are wired.
People often say that the world is going to the dogs….Maybe we should let it! It might turn out to be a kinder, gentler world after all!
~Jill