How Life Changes When A Dog Is Your Family Member

There are hundreds of quotes and reasons on how dogs are a man’s best friend and their love for us. Not everyone can relate to loving dogs. However, it holds significant weight in the heart of dog lovers.

Dogs are family.

People who don’t relate to dogs as a part of a family find it quite challenging to grasp how much they mean to us. To them dogs are just an animal that doesn’t feel anything, dogs are only for guarding the homes. To be tied outside at all times and fed on time. Nothing more.

But to the ones who adore these loving animals, dogs mean the world to them! A family member who participates in everything.

Growing up with dogs is one of the most beautiful experiences a person can have. The joy they bring to our lives is unmeasurable. Getting a puppy and being a parent to it, teaching it tricks, and training it to be a good dog are part of it.

They are naughty as ever till they grow a little older. You can see the mischief in the eyes, the sparkle they have as they hold their favorite toy asking you to play tug of war with it or throw the ball for them to fetch.

The warmth of your dog sleeping next to you on the floor or for hard-core dog lovers- the bed. The softness of their fur is always a pain to clean from everything! Clothes to furniture to books and sometimes you can even find it in the food.

And as much as the fur annoys when we clean or run behind them to discipline when they trash the dustbin and make a mess inside the house, we can’t ever stay mad at our fur babies.

We go above and beyond for them; we buy the best toys, the softest bed, good food, chew bones, and clothes.

They don’t ask for money, clothes, a comfortable lifestyle, or brands. All they crave is love and affection.

All that the dogs know is to listen to our commands. They don’t ask for anything but wait for us to love them. And that love is reciprocated with a warm snuggle, a wet tongue, and a wagging tail.

All who had dogs know that the joy and love they bring with them make our lives happy, and the sadness we have disappears when we see them bounding to us the minute we get home.

Dogs understand emotions; they know happy and sad. They comfort you in troubled times without even having to offer advice. They know when you’re low and lie down next to you, all to make us feel better. And surprisingly, it makes us feel so calm.

However, we often forget they don’t stay with us forever, and all these will one day become a memory for us. But we never realize it until they are no longer with us.

The pain of losing a loved one is immense, no matter who it is. For the ones who consider dogs to be family members, the pain is immeasurable.

You can get a new puppy, but it will never be like your old dog. No matter the dog’s age, young or old, new or adopted, the pain and love are always profound. The void they leave behind cannot be filled.

We forget that dogs have a shorter lifespan; we love them endlessly and think we have forever with them. But once they are gone, your whole world crashes.

The sadness is overwhelming, and the pain too much to bear. The toys are left as is, the empty bed and bowls always in the same place long after they are gone.

The low days get harder to deal with as there are no more warm hugs to feel better. Only then do we realize how much we depend on dogs for our happiness. How much of our heaviness was taken away when we hugged them and played with them. They are the unpaid therapists who don’t even speak.

And no matter how many years go by, there will always be a part of your heart that is filled with the dogs you ever had.

The bond shared will always remain in your heart. The love they gave the moist noses as they nudged for walks, the wet tongue when they gave us kisses, and the warm hugs as we held them close.

All of which will remain a loving memory that gives us a bittersweet feeling of joy and tears when we reminisce about the good old days.

“Marley and Me” is a movie that can make a grown man cry, there are many quotes that can make you feel a lot of emotions, but this one hits home for many-

“A dog has no use for fancy cars, big homes, or designer clothes. A water-logged stick will do just fine. A dog doesn’t care if you’re rich or poor, clever or dull, smart or dumb. Give him your heart, and he’ll give you his. How many people can you say that about? How many people can make you feel rare and pure and special? How many people can make you feel extraordinary?”