Pet dogs often receive treats and holiday gifts, enjoy health insurance, and sleep in the bed with their guardians. Is your dog a part of your family?
Does your dog appear in family portraits, sleep in the bed with you, and receive holiday and birthday gifts from you? If so, you're not alone. Of the millions of dogs in the US, many of them enjoy homemade treats, take part in family celebrations and vacations, dress up on special occasions, have health insurance, and when they reach the end of their days, rest with dignity beneath a memorial marking the significance of their life on earth.
There is no denying the strength of the human-animal bond and when family is defined as a social unit living together, dogs certainly have a lot to offer the family unit. With their adaptability they gratefully play various roles within the family such as companion, child, sibling, protector, and helper. One thing is for sure - dogs are never too busy to share a moment with their humans whether it's a sad and lonely moment or a happy and triumphant one.
Spending Money on Dogs
According to an American Veterinary Medical Association survey, 63% of homes include pets and the fact that huge pet chains, like Petco and Petsmart, are thriving testifies that pets are more and more becoming a part of the family. We don't think twice about spending our hard-earned dollars on specialized foods, cushy beds, squeaky toys, and even pet insurance policies to make sure that Molly lives comfortably. In exchange for all this, our pooches have a way of bringing out the best in us.
Dogs as Siblings
Many people believe that dogs are important in the lives of children, especially those in fractured family environments. Whether it's sharing a hike, a game of fetch, or a bag of popcorn and a video, dogs sometimes fill in lonely areas for children. Children draw great emotional support from dogs and some studies suggest that kids with dogs show higher development scores. Children often report that they go to Max with problems concerning friends, family or school. They sense that their pets will love them unconditionally, whether or not they clean their room or pass that math test. The concept of loyalty can sometimes be based in the love of a dog during childhood.
Assistance Dogs
A dog’s unconditional love can inspire an inner strength for healing in those with illness or disability. While service animals aid their person in daily chores, they also serve as best friends and companions to these people who are sometimes socially isolated. They often share a very special bond by taking care of each other.
Dogs as Protectors
Many young people find that ending the day with a wagging tail often enhances the transition into life on their own, as well as adding a touch of security in an empty house. The elderly often rely on a dog to alert them to intruders.
Dogs as Children
Young couples waiting to start a family often treat their dogs like children. Their instinctive desire to parent is pacified by providing fancy outfits, birthday parties, and gourmet treats for their pets. Dogs, with their innocence, dependence, and added bonus of never growing up, make great 'children.' We can spoil them shamelessly because they never have to be anything more than they already are.
The elderly lady in a rocking chair who nurtured a husband and children many years and suddenly finds herself alone in later life may devote her maternal energies to the needy pup snuggled in her lap.
Dogs as Companions
A gray-haired gentleman walking on the sidewalk with an arthritic dog on the other end of the leash, many years together etched on their bodies, portray an attachment every bit as strong as a family bond.
The extent that we love and are loved is somehow of primary importance in our journey through life. Whether that love comes from a dog or human sometimes doesn't matter a great deal. Pets make us feel accepted, needed, and loved. And, after all, isn't that what family is all about?
