Oh noes, The Grump as a soft side! *gasp* Horrors. *sigh* That soft side is dogs, and at the risk of outing himself, the Grump will be randomly pondering things about the love and bond between dogs and people. Put yer seat belts on!
It seems like a totally one-way relationship, doesn’t it?
Think about it. You feed your dog, they don’t feed you. You brush your dog, they don’t brush you. You pet your dog and rub their belly, they don’t pet you and they certainly don’t rub your belly. If you’re sick you take them to the vet and make sure you get better… though I have had dogs that would lay next to me to comfort me if I’m sick even though they couldn’t do anything else.
Yet people love their dogs!
And that last part is what I’m getting at. It’s more of a two-way street than is obvious on surface observation. Dogs just make us feel good. But how do they do that? Well…
- When you come home after a long day at work your dog will try to break down all barriers to see you. They’re sooooo happy to see you. You won’t get that kind on outward unbridled excitement from any human. The cat, meanwhile, is plotting your demise… as soon as it can figure out a continuing food supply.
- As mentioned above, if you’re in bed with the flu, your dog will lay by your side to comfort you. There’s nothing they can physically do for you, but they can stay with you so you’re not alone.
- Dogs are fiercely loyal, even when they shouldn’t be. But if you love them and treat them right you truly have a best friend.
- Last, let’s say you’re laying on the bed and you’re doing what I call “servicing” your dog, meaning you’re scratching their ear and head, petting them, rubbing their belly, and all that good stuff they never seem to tire of. While you’re doing all this you can FEEL their love radiating back into you. That’s powerful.
Now, I have no scientific evidence for all this, but I believe it to be true, and it makes it all worthwhile.