Let’s be blunt; if you’re not a dog person, you may as well stop reading now. You should also re-evaluate you life choices.
If you are a dog person, though, welcome! I am a dog person through and through, and an article by Jan Hoole and Daniel Allen has only intensified just how damn grateful I am to have a dog.
I tend to get a little defensive when people try and correct me when I explain that I’m able to tell how, or what, my dog is feeling. I can now back myself up with hard facts, though, because the article states that “even the scientific community, now admits that dogs have emotions – even if scientists can’t directly measure what they are experiencing.”
There ya have it, folks.
The article further states how “a study of 975 dog-owning adults, found that in times of emotional distress most people were more likely to turn to their dogs than their mothers, fathers, siblings, best friends, or children.”
If this doesn’t convince you to go out right now and adopt a pupper if you don’t already have one, I’m not sure what will. If you already have one, get more!
The article makes reference to how widely dogs are used in therapy because of their unwavering ability to provide us with companionship, happiness, and “unconditional love.”
I would argue that dogs are some of the most loyal animals to walk the planet, and while I don’t have any specific stats to offer off the top of my head, I’m sure I could round some up if I did some research. Cats are great, too, and I have several, but they’re a tad moody and slightly impossible to read.
If you’re thinking about getting a dog (let’s be real who isn’t), I strongly suggest adopting one from a rescue shelter. These guys are in desperate need of loving, welcoming homes, and what better way to begin your lifelong journey with your furry best friend.
Photo credit: <a href=”https://visualhunt.com/author/72d230″>zingpix</a> on <a href=”https://visualhunt.com/re/d582d6″>Visual Hunt</a> / <a href=”http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/”> CC BY</a>
