7 Great Things I Had a Chance to Experience as a Dog Owner... ...

Isn’t there anything cuter and funnier than a puppy during his first “official meeting” with that strange white thing we call snow? Since my doggy was born in March, it took him almost a year to come in contact with this unidentified, surprisingly cold matter and that was love at first sight. He was a little bit surprised at first, trying very hard to shake the snow off his paws but making a few steps had convinced him there is nothing to be afraid of. He loves snow, especially deep, fresh, soft one and we often call him "our little bunny" because one of his favorite winter games is jumping around like a little bunny - the deeper layer of snow, the better!

No family meal can happen without or furry family member. We are sitting on our chairs and he is sitting on the floor, next to my dad’s chair. We never taught him tricks or anything, he learned to sit on his own, watching us do the same. Nobody has to tell him to sit, he just knows – when the whole family is sitting, he’s sitting too! And he can stay in that position for hours, especially if there is a handy piece of furniture close by for him to lean on. So cute!

If I have a scratch, he’ll come over and start licking it. If I feel sad he’ll hang in my room all day, drag in all his toys for me, crawl in my bed and do that soothing “I feel your pain” sigh that always cheers me up. I had an ammonia one time, woke up in the morning feeling something heavy and warm pressed against my chest and realized that pressure I was feeling was him, sound asleep. My mom told me I was obviously coughing a lot during the night because he hasn’t moved from my chest the whole morning and probably the whole night too.

I swear to you, having a pet is like having a kid. They start by leaving their poop everywhere and chew up at least one good pair of your shoes and suddenly, all that stops and you are left amazed with how many new skills they have manage to pick up on their own. My doggy went from chewing walls and shredding every piece of paper left in his reach to asking if he’s allowed to take anything that might seem like a good toy but isn’t on his current list of toys. Watching him grow up is an experience no money can buy,

My Ninno is smart enough to be able to tell when it’s a good time to act like a complete dumbass. It’s funny, I know, but it’s totally true. The only thing I have ever tried to teach him is to stand still so I can put his leash on and, surprisingly, that’s one thing he never learned. He hates his leash because having it on means he won’t be able to run in that unkempt plot and have fun inspecting grass that’s like 3 times taller than him and probably full of God knows what. This is, of course, the second thing he refuses to adapt to by giving me his trademarked “I’m stupid! I have no idea what are you talking about!” look.

Don’t you just love the way dogs always protect their house and owners? I read in the newspapers that a shih tzu has actually saved his owner’s life by engaging in a battle he knew he couldn’t win and giving his owner enough time to escape from a big, vicious dog that had attacked her. The extent to which my dog is ready to put his ass on the line for a family member or the family as a whole never ceases to amaze me! He used to be a yellowbelly, a tiny puppy that found everything and everyone scary. Now, he’s chasing off other, bigger dogs from our property, growls when another dog or unfamiliar person comes close to his owner and has even saved me from a very strange man once. He might be small but he has a huge heath and an even bigger amount of courage!

There is a lot of things that bring me down when I come back home after a visit to my fiancé – the fact that I won’t see him for at least a month, all those exams I have to start focusing on plus all the physical pains, stiffness and everything associated with a 14 hours long travel. However, when I open the door and find my doggy frantically wiggling his tail and patiently waiting for me to come in so he could express his happiness, all those negative thoughts fade away! He’s jumping on me, running around in circles, then jumping on me some more and circling around again. He will stay with me the whole day and all act jealous if somebody else even dares to steal me away.

Would it be rude to say that my dog rocks? I guess not because we could all say that for our dear pets. How about you? Do you have some amazing stories or events that are special to you to share?

Top Photo Credit: *Ann Gordon