Everyday Canvas

A Dog's Love

Prompt:
"A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself." Write about this in your Blog entry today.

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This is so true. I guess, it must be because a dog thinks they are in the same family with their humans. Science says, however, this is because, on a biological level, dogs and their owners both experience a release of oxytocin, known as the love hormone.

It must also be because dogs are social animals and have a pack mentality. One proof in my life to this came from my uncle's dog, Rocky. At the time I was in my preteens and the dog took me as his playmate. Now, my uncle and aunt lived at another city in those days, and each time, Rocky knew I was on the phone, only because my aunt held the phone to his ear and I talked to him, he became very happy and excited and they told me he began running in circles around their place. Rocky was also a very sensitive dog. When my grandfather passed away, we found the dog holding one of his shoes in his paws, with tears in his eyes. And no, in no shape or form, I'm making this up. My whole family, then, witnessed this.

Years later, when my husband and I got a Newfoundland, Joe, the same happy-devotion thing happened; plus, Joe was the friendliest-ever dog in my experience. Because he was so huge, when he was outside the door and roamed the yard, people became afraid of his size. Little they knew that Joe would not only befriend them and invite them in, but also offer them coffee and cake if he could.

Experts say that dogs see their owners as the leaders of their pack and they offer a strong sense of loyalty and devotion, but I felt the same loyalty and devotion in my son's dog, a Chesapeake Bay retriever, toward me and to other members of the family, although, unlike Joe, this dog never took to strangers.

Luckily for me, I always had very positive experiences with dogs. I think, through some complex interplay of evolution, biology, and emotional bonding, they have become connected to us much more strongly than other kinds of pets, and the lifelong emotional bond we form with them is truly special.