So why do people even think of getting a dog?

For me, life before dogs was not very happy, nor very healthy. The only time I used to laugh was when I was chugging gin and tonic (love that drink!). Now, my dogs make me laugh all the time. I have a Shiba Inu called Gin, and a Siberian Husky called Tonic.

For real? Nah.

Here are five key reasons why people get dogs, and why dogs are worth all of, and more than what we put into them.

** Note – If you are interested in getting a dog, do not buy one from an online-buy-a-puppy site or from a pet store. Such places support and finance puppy mills that not only breed unhealthy puppies, but also keep their dogs in cruel conditions. Instead, consider adoption or getting a dog from an accredited Kennel Club breeder.

Why Get a Dog – 5 Reasons for Getting a Dog

1. A dog will keep you happy, healthy, and help you lose some weight

Why Get a Dog – A dog will keep you happy, healthy, and help you lose some weight.

Physical exercise is extremely important to living a healthy and happy life.

I hear this all the time, but motivating myself to actually go to the gym every day is close to impossible. I pretty much have to fight a mental battle with myself everyday, and frequently, it is my lazy butt persona who wins.

Dogs need to take walks every day. In rain, shine, or snow I take my dogs out for their daily walks.

Unlike visits to the gym, I can’t get lazy, and I can’t come up with excuses of other things I need to do. When it is time for their walks, they will come and find me, and give me intense, meaningful looks.

I have had several fitness coaches, but none have been able to motivate me as well as my dogs. Those deep eyes, and expectant faces gets me off my lazy butt every day of the week.

I have had several fitness coaches, but none have been able to motivate me as well as my dogs.

2. A dog will keep your mind engaged and active

Matching mental wills with my dogs; otherwise called dog obedience training.

In addition to physical exercise, mental exercise is also important to living a healthy life. My dogs have taught me many things, and they continue to challenge me every day.

For example, dogs have a really weird fashion sense. They do not see the difference between a pair of torn-up sneakers, and my prizedJimmy Choo shoes. Both are fair game as chew toys. They also think that mud on designer clothing is very much in style. Therefore, I have to come up with many ingenious ways to convince them that there is some value to human fashion after all.

Getting dogs to respect human fashion, as well as follow basic house rules and manners, can take a surprising amount of time and mental effort. As a result, I think less about food, and burn off extra calories while matching mental wills with my dogs; otherwise called dog obedience training.

Therefore, in addition to being great teachers, dogs are also great diet coaches!

Just don’t ask them for advice when it comes to fashion.

From the dog’s point of view, his master is an elongated and abnormally cunning dog.
~~[ Mabel Louise Robinson ]

Why Get a Dog – A dog will keep your mind engaged and active.

3. A dog will teach you to relax and be Zen

Why Get a Dog – A dog will teach you to relax and be Zen.

Dogs may feel stressed, or depressed.

Embrace nothing: If you meet the Buddha, kill the Buddha. If you meet your father, kill your father. Only live your life as it is, Not bound to anything.
~~[ Hindu Prince Gautama Siddharta, the founder of Buddhism, 563-483 B.C. ]

Live in the moment, and follow your own wisdom, that is what Zen is about.

Telling someone to “live in the moment” is similar to telling someone to “buy low and sell high”. Easy to say, but very difficult to implement. Dogs, however, make living in the moment seem easy, because that is what they naturally do every second of the day.

Some people mistake this to mean that dogs do not feel or do not have memories. Quite the opposite.

Dogs feel very strongly, and they can have very detailed memories of things.

Just like us, they may feel stressed, or depressed. However, the key difference is they move on and leave the past behind.

My dogs help me stay connected to the world around me. They provide me with a fun, and sometimes very demanding activity to take my mind away from my troubles. They teach me to move on and let things go, just by being who they are.

This results in less stress, less sadness, and a happier, healthier life.

Dogs, however, make living in the moment seem easy, because that is what they naturally do, every second of the day.

4. A dog will make you laugh

Why Get a Dog – A dog will make you laugh.

My dogs make me laugh every day. They are always doing silly and funny things that make me smile, even when I am troubled.

My Shiba Inu has this butt-in-the-air move (see below) that he thinks is just too hot to touch. Whenever he has an audience, he will start performing this butt-move as if to say,“look at me, I’m too sexy!”.

Studies have shown that there are many health benefits to laughter. It can boost our immune system and help stave off viral infections. It can help us relax, and reduce stress related illnesses (e.g. high-blood preassure, ulcers).

Laughter is also a good tonic against negative feelings such as depression, frustration and anger. A life filled with laughter, is a good life.

The great pleasure of a dog is that you may make a fool of yourself with him and not only will he not scold you, but he will make a fool of himself too.
~~[ Samuel Butler,Notebooks, 1912 ]

My Shiba Inu has this butt-in-the-air move that he thinks is just too hot to touch.

5. A dog will be your loyal friend for life

Why Get a Dog – A dog will be your loyal friend for life.

Dogs spend much of their lives observing us; our mannerisms, routines, and quirks. They probably understand us better than we understand ourselves.

As a result, dogs share a bond with us that is difficult to replicate with people.

They have a natural sense of empathy, and can easily sense changes in our emotions, however slight. Thus while everyone else may be oblivious to my troubles, my dog will come over and put his head on my lap.

Strange as it may seem, dogs communicate better than people do. Although they may speak a different language, they express themselves more clearly and more truthfully. They don’t say yes when they mean no and vice versa.

With a dog you always know where you stand.

The dog is a gentleman; I hope to go to his heaven, not man’s.
~~[ Mark Twain, letter to W.D. Howells, 2 April 1899 ]

Dogs share a bond with us that is difficult to replicate with people.

Some dogs may be more than a bit insulted, with that remark :D. Nevertheless, there are many similarities between men and dogs.

Living together with a man is a big deal. Suddenly, we have to put up with his many bad habits, all of the time. Living together with a dog, is an even bigger deal. With dogs, it is truly a “till death do us part” commitment. Since dogs are totally dependent on us, there is no such thing as a divorce.

Should I Get a Dog – 10 Things to Consider Before Getting a Dog

When we agree to bring a dog into our family, we are making that commitment for life.

And just like men, dogs have an array of bad habits.

Therefore, before getting a dog, we want to first consider some of their less than desirable traits.

Should I Get a Dog 1

Dogs Snore Like Drunken Sailors.

This is my cute little Siberian Husky girl, Shania. She is the sweetest thing ever, but at night, she snores like a really large, really drunk, sailor.

At least when a man snores, we can give him a swift kick, and make him turn to the side. This will usually stop the snoring.

My Husky girl, bless her heart, will snore in whatever position she is in.

Should I Get a Dog 1 - Siberian Husky Shania snores like a drunken sailor.

Should I Get a Dog 2

Should I Get a Dog 2 - Dogs Are Expert Stalkers.

Shiba Inu Sephy - The Little Detective.

Dogs Are Expert Stalkers.

I think that the Police song, Every Breath You Take, was composed for a dog. Dogs like following us everywhere, and they watch everything that we do.

My Shiba Inu likes sitting outside, and staring at passers-by, cars, and everything else.

He is known by some of my neighbors as “the little detective”.

If he could talk, I bet he would have some really juicy stories to tell!

Should I Get a Dog 3

Dogs Are Not Ashamed of Begging.

My dogs learned really early on that their most powerful weapon is not their teeth, but their pretty face.

Dogs are willing to do about anything to get what they want, and that includes begging. Beware! They are very, very, good at it, and they will do it whenever they want something from us, which is almost all of the time.

Should I Get a Dog 3 - I'll gladly pay you Tuesday, for a cake today.

Should I Get a Dog 4

A Dog’s Favorite Perfume is Eau De Skunk.

A dog’s favorite scent is not Dior, CK, or even Old Spice. Rather, they like dead things that smell like, well, dead things. Rolling around in a dead thing to acquire that oh-so-quaint aroma, is often the highlight of a dog’s day.

Smelling and eating poop is also a favorite activity. My Siberian Husky Shania, treats bird poop like it is caviar. What the cat, horse, and goat left behind, is also on her favorite list of foods and scents.

Casual Canine Lil Stinker Pepe Le Pew Skunk Halloween Dog Costume from Amazon.com.

Should I Get a Dog 5

Should I Get a Dog 5 - Shiba Inu Sephy landscaping around the tall grass.

Dogs Are Landscaping Addicts.

We may think that our yard is perfect or close to perfect, but our dogs know better.

Yards often have a boring, flat surface, look. All dogs know that the most interesting, beautiful yards, are the ones that have the most number of holes.

Dogs are such optimists that they always have a can dig attitude. Even when our entire yard is riddled with holes, they always find a way to add just one more. Finally, all the holes combine into one large, big, flat hole, and the process starts all over again.

Should I Get a Dog 6

Dogs Drool, Belch, and Fart.

Dogs live in the moment.

They will drool, fart, belch, and whatever else, in the moment as well. Think Homer Simpson, except much cuter, and with more hair.

SIMPSONS HOMER SUGAR DADDY Tee Licensed from Amazon.com

Should I Get a Dog 7

Should I Get a Dog 7 - Dogs are lazy.

Dogs Are Lazy About Personal Hygiene.

When women say “men are dogs“, this is probably one of the key reasons why.

Like men, dogs will sometimes clean themselves, but most of the time, they prefer to just lie around, watch t.v., and go to sleep. Even when we offer to give them a bath, brush their teeth, clip their nails, and wipe their muddy paws, they will object in the most virulent fashion.

The best way to get a man, err I mean dog, to let us groom him, is to pair grooming with something pleasant. Using a favorite food, often does the trick.

Should I Get a Dog 8

Dogs Shed, and Shed, and Shed.

Dogs are cute, and cuddly because they have all that soft, plush, silky hair that we love running our fingers through.

What they often fail to advertise, is that the hair comes off – all over the house.

The amount of shedding varies greatly by dog breed, so careful research is a must. Before getting a dog, make sure that we are not allergic to dog dander. Also get used to having hair all over our floors, furniture, clothes, and other prized possessions.

Frequent brushing, will help ensure that the hair comes off in a more controlled, and manageable fashion. I find that a Furminator is very helpful, especially for dogs with double coats.

Should I Get a Dog 9

Should I Get a Dog 9 - Dogs think that the World is their toilet.

Dogs Think that the World is Their Toilet.

Dogs, especially puppies, find it extremely inconvenient to have to go to the toilet, like we do. Interrupting dog play for a trip to the loo, seems like a big waste of time. Therefore, they will just do it on the go. After all, they have unpaid human servants to clean up after them, so life is good.

The best way to potty-train a dog, is to teach him that toileting outside is more fun than a Chuck-E-Cheese trip.

My Siberian Husky puppy was not easy to house-train, because she did not seem to mind frolicking in her own waste products. As soon as she has to go, which is when she wakes up, and after every 10-15 minutes of play-time; I take her outside and give her the “Go Potty” command.

When she goes potty, I praise her very well and give her yummy treats and affection. Then, she goes back to playing. Very quickly, she learned to go sit by the door whenever she needed to go potty. After all, pottying inside gets her nothing, but pottying outside, is a happy bonanza of praise, treats, attention, and play.

Should I Get a Dog 10

Shiba Sephy chewing on his duck toy.

A Dog’s Favorite Chew Toy is Everything.

Before we bring a puppy or new dog home, make sure to store away all of our prized possessions.

I do not leave my Jimmy Choo shoes around, or it will quickly become designer rawhide. Make sure to put cell-phones, iPhones, iPods, and all other expensive equipment on a high shelf.

Proper puppy training and puppy management is a must. When puppy Shania is out and about, I supervise her very closely. When I am too busy to supervise, she goes in her crate or long-term enclosure. I also provide her with many interactive, dog friendly, chew toys.

An iPhone may be coolest thing since sliced bread, but it is not friendly to a dog’s digestive system, nor is it friendly to our pocketbook when we pay the vet bill.

Should I Get a Dog 10 - A dog's favorite chew toy is everything.