Everybody says a dog is a man’s best friend. That is an undeniable truth. But even so, there’s so many of us, who disagree to that. Ardent dog lovers have always failed to understand why. Are the countless stories all over the world not enough proof of their generosity, their loyalty, their never ending love and their unassuming ever multiplying joy that radiates and seeps into anything and anyone in contact? For those who love these furry or sometimes not-so-furry creatures, the mere sight of a dog just walking by, is a reason to smile. One can almost feel their stress melt away, and that’s not just a momentary feeling; it actually lasts. Any dog lover must have lost count of the number of times they have caught themselves saying hi to a dog. Not only pets but also the street mongrels are just as lovable, one only needs to give them a chance.
There are three types of people when it comes to dogs.
Those who love them, those who hate them, and then there’s those who for some reason discriminate between the street and the pet kind. That is a concept dog lovers can’t wrap their head around. Street dogs can be far more fiercely loyal sometimes. Just a little bit of love goes a long way. Some might argue, that one can never tell how a street dog will react to them. Well, that holds true for pets too, in fact, any living being, including us humans, the so called evolved species.
Also, one can’t really blame it on these poor souls for not immediately trusting everyone, considering the history of humans, and how we ever so often treat them with disgrace. There are far too many people who are just so used to throwing stones at the mere sight of a street dog, it is understandable, that they will be wary if not aggressive when it comes to people. Not just that, there are so many instances of street dogs being guardians of humans, voluntarily. Almost every security guard can tell anyone of a street dog that gives them company on their rounds with absolute unquestionable faith.
One probably just gave it a piece of bread at some point of time, rest assured, it will almost certainly look forward to seeing them with its tail wagging, every time one comes around. That genuine delight at their sight is a rare occurrence to spot even amongst the closest of friends or family. It might even protect one from other rather aggressive counterparts if one is even the least bit kind to it. Sadly, that’s something a street dog does not get to experience too often.
There have been cases, where a shared love of dogs becomes the founding stone of many a friendships. One just can’t get enough of the fun and funny stories of their behavior, when one is a true dog lover. And it’s a certainty, there’s never a dearth of such stories. The innocent pranks played on it to maybe just the way it was seen sleeping one time, are heartwarming tales. And these are not restricted to one’s own pet. A friend’s pet, a neighbor’s pet, or maybe one just seen on its daily walk, or even the street dogs. A true dog lover is offended by the use of the term ‘street dog’, because for him, they are all the same, just as amazing.
Everything about all of them has the potential to make one’s day, no matter how rotten it has been. Coming home from a bad day at work, the sight of a dog on its back in the mud could easily make one laugh. There really is no need to enumerate the scientifically proven health benefits of being with dogs. Not just psychological and mental, but also physical.
One may probably understand if there’s a genuine pathological inability to being around dogs, such as allergies, and the consequent ‘hatred’, but otherwise there really is no justifiable reason for not loving them. Unless one has really young kids who run to them the moment they enter the door (they too eventually stop doing that as they grow older), there is no one else but a dog that does that all its life. People may forget one’s love and kindness, but a dog never does. It’ll cherish it for as long as it lives and return it multiple times over. Real life stories have been made into movies,
Hachiko and Red to name two, portraying the bravery, love and loyalty a dog has for its owner. Their love towards their owner continues even after their death. There is no sight as heart wrenching as when a dog cries out for its master. Not only on one’s death but even if it’s locked away from them. True dog lovers consider it almost criminal when a dog is locked outside the house or in the balcony or left alone and uncared for when the owners decide to go on a vacation. If taught kindly it will learn not to ruin one’s things when inside the house. It always knows when one needs his own space and when one need its company. They have a gift of never letting one feel lonely even in the direst of circumstances. And this is one of those things that people really need in today’s times.