Dog – A man’s best friend

“A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself” – Josh Billings

Yes indeed. A dog is much more than the guardian of your house. He/she considers you to be a member of his/her pack. Having a dog as your pet can be one of the most profound experiences of your life. Learning about their needs and taking good care of your dog gives a great experience for both you and your pet. 

Dogs accept you for what you are and are known to protect you with all their might. In fact Brutus, the 7 year old golden retriever, became a national sensation when he took on the deadly coral snake head on as the snake approached a young child. Although he did receive a deadly bite, he never gave up. He was flown to Los Angeles to receive the 

National Hero Dog Award’. A five pound Chihuahua named Zoey rescued a one year old child from a 3 foot rattle snake as the snake got too close for comfort. 

A black Labrador named Katrina had rescued a man from drowning the storm Katrina hit the US shores. The 2008 dog of the year named Maya saved her owner from a vicious male attacker, when he had tried to assault her owner. 

The rivalry between dogs and cats can be put into question as this idea of hating cats’ failed to exist in Napoleon’s mind, who swamp deep out into a lake to rescue burlap sack having 6 kittens in them. The 2001 dog of the year named Blue had saved her 85 year old owner from an alligator attack in her own back yard. These amazing stories doesn’t end here. There was an unbelievable story of a beagle that had bit the digits 911 of their phone after his diabetic owner had collapsed from a seizure. 

A golden retriever named Toby had rescued his owner from chocking on a morsel. And who could ever forget the famous Japanese Akita dog named Hachiko. The famous story behind Hachiko is the degree to which the dog remained loyal to his owner Hidesaburō Ueno. Hachiko always greeted his owner at the Shibuya railway station, as he returned from work every day. Sadly, even after his owner had passed away, Hachiko still continued to visit the railway station every day for 9 years. Hachiko eventually died of natural causes and a bronze statue was erected at the Shibuya Station in April of 1934. 

There are countless examples to show the deepness to which a dog bonds with a human. Owning a dog is a huge responsibility as well. The owner must make sure that the dog is well trained, regularly fed and frequently hydrated. Proper pet care even includes vaccinations, regular flea treatments and daily grooming is crucial in keeping your dog happy and healthy. You must take your dog to the vet on a regular basis. 

You must take your dog to the vet in order to:

1) Identify any illness as early as possible. Unlike humans, dogs don’t have the verbal ability to convey any discomforts that it faces. Regular checkups to the vet helps to identify any sickness right at the early stages before it becomes too late for treatment. 

2) The dog’s mental wellbeing as important as its physical wellbeing. Regular checkups to the vet can also help you to discuss the behavior of your dog and also help to devise a plan if necessary, to bring the dog into a calm submissive state. 

3) Regular visits to the vet may seem to be initially expensive but in the long run, it helps you to identify any disease right at its beginning stage so that you would be able to avoid expensive treatments that you may have to incur, if the disease was not recognized at its beginning stage. This saves your pet years of life that they could have lost to illness.

From pets to sporting companions to service dogs, canines are an integral part of a human’s world. They can be a viable source of comfort and have known to have a therapeutic effect as well. It helps relieve stress and the sense of happiness, that a human gets from the mere company of a dog, generates the serotonin hormone that keeps our mind in the happy and healthy state.