I have been walking dogs for the humane society the past couple weeks and that made me want to revisit this blog! Having spent time with these dogs I can attest they are some of the sweetest most loving animals just looking for a home! If you can't adopt I still recommend stopping by the humane society and volunteering to walk the dogs. Its a great time, good exercise and they are so appreciative to get some time outside! Fair warning, I may or may not be biased on this topic as I type this blog with my dogs head on my lap. To me it’s a no brainer and this blog shouldn’t need to be written. I have to be talked out of adopting dogs far more often than I have to be talked into it. I have had a dog nearly every day that I have been alive. As soon as I got a house in college a dog fell in my lap and if you know me there was no way I was saying no even if it was an extremely hectic time in my life and there were many people telling me not to take on the added stress. And at first glance I thought they were right. You hear it all the time. A dog is a big responsibility, to which I agree to a point. Yes, adding a dog to your life will add some responsibilities and daily tasks but it's not something that will derail your normal life. If you are super busy and don’t see a lot of free time in your schedule for training then look into older dogs. Puppies can be a handful at first but older dogs don’t need all the training and constant attention. But most of the time you can fit your dog seamlessly into your schedule. I use my daily walks with my dog as my exercise time. When I go to make myself food I feed my dog.While some may see the added responsibilities as a negative to dog ownership I wholeheartedly disagree. Having a dog has helped me mature quickly and also helped maintain an organized schedule. Having to feed, walk and play with a dog every day has led me to being more organized and schedule oriented. But if you are on the fence or maybe your parents are hesitant to get you one then this is the blog for you. I will lay out 5 of the million reasons you should adopt a dog or in a lot of cases another dog! If you’re thinking about adopting a dog don’t forget to check out your local animal shelters!
Help you grow
I touched on it a little above but having a dog can teach you so many things. The first thing it did was help me get on and maintain a schedule. I was very much a spur of the moment person before having a dog. I would eat whenever I got hungry, exercise whenever I felt like it, not really following order or reason. Having a dog changed that quickly. It started with having my dog on a schedule. I would feed it every morning and evening and go on 3 walks a day and this turned into me falling into the same schedule. I would eat when I fed my dog and my gym time (that I often found ways to avoid beforehand) turned into going on runs and hikes with my dog. It was hard to motivate myself to be organized and on schedule but when I got my dog it forced me to mature and I couldn’t be lazy anymore. I’m not one to say my puppy or my dog is my baby or kid. I’ve never had a child and cannot and will not make that comparison. But there are similarities in how much you can grow as a person by being responsible for the well being of another living thing.
Have a best friend
I once read “Dog’s are the only thing on this earth that loves you more than themselves.” I thought about this a lot and I don’t know if it's technically or scientifically true or even provable but it’s definitely got legs to it. I can speak from personal experience that it sure seems true. Sure there will be some growing pains in the puppy years as your dog learns but the more you teach it the better it will be. That dog's whole life and personality will be based on your positive and negative reactions. Once it does learn what's good and bad in your eyes that dog will live by those rules just to make you happy. Plus nothing beats coming home to something that excited to see you every time.
Improve happiness
A lot of people suffer from anxiety, depression and many other things. Let’s face it, people have their own lives and you can’t expect any person to always be there for you no matter what. However, what I can guarantee you is that the dog will be there for you. Studies show that dogs reduce stress, anxiety and depression, ease loneliness, encourage exercise and improve your all-around health. That's science right there so no arguing that! And if your first thought was how or if you had any sort of doubt in your mind I can guarantee you have never had a dog.
Great exercise
If you’re already into exercising that you just found yourself the most dependent exercise partner you could. Never have to worry about this one backing out on you or calling in sore. In fact, on those days you just don’t have any motivation they will be the one nudging you off the couch telling you it’s time to get your butt moving! Or maybe you're on the other side of things and aren’t really the working out type. Well now you can skip the weight room and the high impact exercising. Going a couple walks a day with your dog can improve your health and you won't even realize your exercising. It gives the walking a purpose. Plus my dog and I use it as a time to explore new places and meet new people!
Entertainment
If I had to choose I would give up every streaming service, and form of media in exchange for a dog. The amount of time I’m spent entertained by my dog I'm pretty sure is too large to be calculated. Don’t believe me? Then you can scroll through my camera roll which is 95% my dog. I take her nearly everywhere with me and it makes every boring task more fun. I don’t really like standing still or doing nothing so my dog makes a lot of boring places to me extremely fun. I can’t lay on the beach and tan for hours. But I can go to the beach and play fetch, or play in the waves with my dog for hours. Same thing with the park and many other places. You can guarantee anytime you are ready to play or have fun that they will be too!