As I sit in a 
chain of Starbucks with my Labrador at my side, I’m reminded that despite all the times that I have had to pick up his poo and woken to his whimpers in the night, that he has given me so much more than I could have ever imagined. Here are just a few reasons that you should, at the least, consider investing in a furry companion for yourself.
- You can never be more needy and more demanding than they are i.e. they will never stop wanting attention and fuss.
- Their loyalty is unmatched to that of any humans’. Dogs will follow their owner anywhere just because. They know when you are happy or sad and just with a wag of their tail or a with a look in their eyes they are able to say that they will always be there.
- You can tell them ANYTHING. And I mean anything. They won’t say a thing to anyone else. My pupper has heard just about everything and trust me, he knows more than any person does!
- If they happen to wander into you naked somewhere, they’ll do nothing but wag their tail. No judging here!
- You can never feel greedy when in the company of a dog. That accidental 5-pack of doughnuts that disappeared will not compare to the speed at which a dog will respond to any sound that even remotely resembles that of food or food preparation.
- They force you to socialise. Who knew that so many people can talk so much about dogs?!- especially in the centre of town.
I have been encouraged to write this post by the increasing advertisements in shop windows about up-and-coming Mothers’ Day. I wish that my Labrador could understand just how much he means to me. I feel as if it would only be appropriate for him to have a national day to recognise his service! All those times that he has dragged me out of a very, overwhelmingly dark place as well as outside the house when it has felt impossible, I can never repay him. As a person who struggles with issues of attachment, I have found that the company of a canine to be the most therapeutic. Borderline/ emotionally unstable personality disorder from personal experience and it may be the same for other mental illness, can be so isolating yet with a canine companion it can ease the pain and loneliness like nothing else.
