Unconditional Love, a Dogs Life
Most mornings, I awake to a wet snout poking at my head (normally my ears to be specific) as a signal to lift up the covers…Mijo, my 8 1/2yr old beagle, is requesting entry under the blankets to burrow his full 27lbs near my feet for his “snooze” time. I happily oblige my best friend as he nestles on my toes, content to be near his “daddy”. You see, my beagle is a ham. He needs constant love & affection and everyone in my family is more than happy to shower him with it because simply having him enhances our lives 10-fold.
A dog’s life is ruled by one simple tenant, unconditional love. It’s funny to me that women insult men by calling them “dogs”. I get the slang, but it’s absolutely ridiculous if you know anything about our little best friends. A dog’s dedication to his owner is unparalleled. He is and always will be loyal to you. They are our companions. They share in our lives, protect us, grow with our families and bring an immeasurable amount of positivity into a home. No matter how bad a day I’ve had, Mijo erases any thought of it when I get home, showering me with kisses, uncontrollable-full-body-tailwagging & bark-howls communicating pure enjoyment to see me. It never gets old and as a dog lover, the reception is one of my favorite routines to witness.
These little fellaz are beacons of love. A dog won’t hold it against you if you get upset or angry over disobedience. He’ll take the scolding and then continue to wag his way back into your heart. Soon enough, you’ll forget about the digression in obedience and succumb to the cuteness of a guilty dog’s face
In all probability, humans share more intimacy & emotion around their dogs than they do around most of their family & friends. Think about it. Some of the lowest points of my life were spent in seclusion from my friends & family, but Mijo was always by my side, patiently supporting me by staying close during those dark hours.
It’s the same for the happy occasions too. Whenever I’m working on music, Mijo finds his way close to me to share in the experience. He LOVES music. In fact, I beat-box a theme song for him on his walks and he normally perks up and walks with a strut when he hears his theme beat (seriously, he’s the dog of a musician, he knows what’s up). Joy or pain, dogs are tied to our emotions. If you feel something, your dog most likely feels the nature of it as well. If you’re happy or sad, your dog knows.
Look, either you’re a dog person or you’re not. I clearly am and wanted to take a break from the music/photography hustle to thank all of our canine friends for being a part of our lives. So, next time you’re walking down the street and you see a happy lil’ fella struttin’ with pride, take a moment to pet him or her on the head, scratch behind the ears or a lite tap on the booty…they’ll be eternally grateful you shared a moment. Humans can learn a lot from dogs, unconditional love being the most important lesson of all…