Besides your spouse (and working colleagues), there is probably no one else you see every day. They are there waiting when we open our eyes in the morning; they are at home waiting for us excitedly when we return after work or shopping. We take for granted having them around; and when they are no longer there, we feel a black hole in our heart, the painful loss, the missing part of our life and daily life.

Many of us buy or adopt our canine friends as 8-10-week-old puppies. We watch them grow up, become defiant adolescents, mellow down with age, then eventually, grow sick or old, and die. We accompany them throughout the entire life cycle of birth, youth, adulthood, old age, sickness and death. Dogs are mirrors of the realities of life, of impermanence and transience. These realities are extremely difficult for us humans to deal with. They evoke intense emotions for us – including grief, guilt, regret, and above all fear.

You had to teach your puppy how to pee and poop in the right place; how to sit before a meal; how to walk on a leash; what not to chew. We are our dogs’ mentors, teachers, parents, protectors, and bodyguards, and we watch them blossom from clueless puppy to excellent canine citizen - hopefully. They are what we teach them. They represent our image of the ideal dog. They are the results of our training efforts.

Dogs are like little children, from the day they come into our lives as a puppy, till their death in old age. In fact, researchers have found that a dog’s intelligence is comparable to a 2 to 3 year old human toddler, making them cutely childlike, even in old age. Often, we see them as our children.

Studies have shown that when we look into a dog’s eyes, the level of the hormone oxytocin increases in our blood. Oxytocin promotes “pro-social” behaviors such as relaxation, trust, improved psychological stability, and altruism in humans.

It is thought that oxytocin in both mother and infant is increased when a mother gazes into her baby’s eyes, and when the baby gazes back. For these reasons, oxytocin is also sometimes called the “love hormone”.

In some studies of owners and dogs, oxytocin levels rose by up to 300% when they gazed at each other, substantiating the existence of a human-dog relationship that is similar to that of human mother-infant relations.

In other words – our love grows with our canine companions, the longer we share our life with them.

We learn a lot from our dogs. We learn about living each day with unbridled exuberance and joy, about seizing the moment and following your heart. Mostly, they teach us about friendship and selflessness and, above all else, unwavering loyalty.

Your dog might not be a perfect dog. Perhaps he has food aggression, or snaps when he is unhappy. Has bitten you, your friends, groomer and vet. Barks loudly at strangers, other dogs, vacuum cleaners, and anything else. LOVEs eating plants and has massacred your garden like a tornado leaving a trail of destruction.

Despite their imperfections, we love them all the same. 

Our love for our dogs is unconditional, and so is their love for us. It is often very difficult to replicate this with another human being, because we bring with us so many expectations when we deal with people. With dogs, the bond is special, and very different. We can be ourselves, with no fear of being judged. We can love without restraint and with abandon: this is what we do with our canine friends. Through our dogs, we learn to love and to be loved, unconditionally.

There is nowhere our dogs would rather be than next to us – whether awake or sleeping. We are their world

We have our work, friends, family. But our dogs only have us. We are aware of this fact at the back of our minds, and hence, we take extra care to make sure that their needs are met. We feel guilty when we go on holidays, or when we spend too much time away from home. We are their world, and in the process, they become a very large part of ours.

Dogs are not like humans. They show it when they are happy, angry or sad. They jump in joy when you are home, sulk when you leave the house. They growl when another dog is trying to snatch their bone. They express their emotions with frankness and abandon. Their feelings are absolutely genuine.

No two dogs are alike. Even if they look the same, they will have different personalities, quirks, and things which define them. Every dog is irreplaceable. After our dog’s death, we will never be able to find another dog who is exactly the same again. This makes us miss them even more after they are gone.

Dogs are nature’s most wonderful healers. That is why, after a long day, all we want to do is go home to see our dogs. When we are feeling low, we may not want to meet other people, yet, our dogs will make us feel better.

→ You've Got A Friend / Carole King
When we need company, our canine friends always give their all for us: rain or shine, day or night, summer, winter, autumn or fall, here and now or beyond. We’ve got a friend.