Surely there are over millions of reasons to live with a dog. Through the years, Pet Life has been around and with the many dog people we have interviewed — each one had their own reasons for why their canine companion was special.
And, mind you, no dog is alike.
Here goes….
21. Dogs warn us about danger and keep us safe. We all know the value of dogs as guard dogs. We were told that Pikang, a native dog, who was just being fed leftovers by members of the Jaguar Unit of the 104th Infantry Brigade of the AFP stationed in Basilan, proved that she could pay the soldiers back many times over.
Pikang could sniff out insurgents from a mile away and warn the troops by barking or stopping during a trek when the enemy was approaching. As a result, the Jaguar Unit was the only unit with zero casualties in the rebel-infested area. Pikang is the lone native dog awardee among purebred dogs in K-9 units at the Philippine Animal Welfare Society’s 2005 Golden Paw Awards.
20. Dogs understand us even if we don’t talk. Ever noticed that your dog seems to sense when you are sad or lonely? Dogs have a remarkable connection with their owners — not just because of their keen sense of hearing or smell — the strength of their emotional bond with their humans can be mind-boggling.
19. Dogs don’t care if you didn’t brush your teeth or comb your hair. People do not feel the need to be self-conscious about their appearance when there’s a friendly canine at the doorway.
18. Dogs entertain us. Dogs can be trained to perform tricks. But dogs are most entertaining when they are just being their silly selves. Burying a newfound treasure, chasing after its tail, looking up with puppy-dog eyes when they want something from you.
17. Dogs give us a boost of confidence. They say that if you are nervous about making that big presentation, practice in front of your dog. There are studies that show that dogs actually help children who have trouble reading out loud in class. It seems that the kids are so scared by the possibility of mispronouncing a word that they commit more mistakes in the process. A pioneering teacher asked a student to read to a dog and this improved the student’s read-aloud skills greatly. Now, many schools across the US are also welcoming “Professor Dogs” in the classroom — to give kids that morale and confidence boost to take that extra step to excellence.
16. Dogs know who our true friends are. We know of many people who can “fake” being good friends with you just because of some ulterior motive. Here’s a tip from a PAWS volunteer who actually admitted “dog-testing” her husband before she agreed to marry him. She was always with her faithful Chow-Chow, named Cookie, when people came a-courting. All her other suitors had been barked at by Cookie whenever they gave her a compliment, which the girl would also feel to be untrue. Cookie seemed to dislike all her other suitors.
But there seemed to be a sign that her hubby was the one when Cookie jumped up the couch to sit beside him when he first came to the house.
15. Dogs are intelligent. There are studies that show that the German Shepherds that police use as partners on the field may possess the intelligence of a five-year-old child. Language and sign commands are easily grasped. Of course, many dog owners will agree that their dogs often show a greater level of IQ than some of the people they meet at work, or in government offices.
14. Dogs are good trackers. The participation of Bloodhounds Dolly and Shadow from the AFP-Canine Unit finally led the soldiers to the hideout where the Abu Sayyaf kept their hostage Gracia Burnham. Shadow received the award for both himself and the deceased Dolly — an award for bravery from the Philippine Animal Welfare Society last October 2005.
13. Dogs reduce stress. From the Doctor Dog Manual courtesy of Animals Asia Foundation (AAF), “One recent US study on cardiovascular reactivity to stress demonstrated that chemical inhibitors to lower blood pressure had no effect on a patient’s reactivity to mental stress. However, following the introduction of a friendly dog, cardiovascular reactivity to mental stress was considerably diminished.”
12. Dogs are an effective medium of communication and growth for children. Again, according the ‘The Doctor Dog Manual,’ “Interaction encourages the development of nurturing relationships and empathetic responses. Children learn interpersonal and care-giving skills. Dogs widen their scope of experience and provide a new viewpoint of the world.
“Research has shown that children with pet dogs score higher on measures of empathy, self-esteem and self-concept than those who do not have pet dogs.”
11. Dogs heal. The Doctor Dog program of PAWS has been able to bring our therapy dogs, the Doctor Dogs, to the pediatric cancer ward in hospitals — and the smiles on the children’s faces alone tell us that animal-assisted therapy works. There is an instant connection between dogs and kids.
In one school for autistic kids, the teachers got all excited when a child spoke with one of our Doctor Dogs. What was the big deal? The teacher explained that boy has been in her class for a whole year and has not spoken a word to anyone. Until that day.
10. Dogs are life savers. Dagul, a native dog, saved a family in Baguio from a landslide; Champ, a Rottweiler, saved a sacristan from drowning in a flashflood in Quezon.
9. Adopted or rescued dogs are the most grateful animals in the world.
An adopted pet from a shelter pays you back in love and loyalty. Pets in shelters have been abandoned — and feel it. When adopted, these pets bond with an enduring love and loyalty that few relationships can match.
8. Dogs never complain. The reason why dogs make such great housemates. They never grumble. Whatever works, works. Sleeping on the couch, sleeping on the floor, sleeping with you in bed. Just make sure the rules are clear from the start, and your dog will be a happy dog for as long as you provide for his basic needs and give him a few minutes of your day for tummy-scratching, bonding session.
7. Dogs forgive. Dog guardians may be occasionally guilty of not spending quality time with their pets. But these animals do not carry grudges. The minute you remember to bring them out for a much-needed walk or the minute you pick up that frisbee — the tail wags, the look of adoration is again in place, all is forgotten and forgiven.
6. Dogs render a great service to mankind. They are guides for the blind, search and rescue dogs, bomb-sniffing dogs, dogs used to track down criminals, dogs used to sniff out drugs and fake DVDs.
5. Dogs can sniff cancer. A recent study in the US has shown that a Miniature Schnauzer was able to sniff cancer growth in a human.
A cancer-sniffing dog from Nova Scotia is getting a gold star. Georgina Bramwell’s Pomeranian is earning a spot in the Purina Animal Hall of Fame after the dog’s constant pawing led her to find a cancerous lump in her breast about a year ago.
“I thought Teddy Bear was crazy when he was digging at me,” said the 76-year-old from Waverley, N.S. “The night when he jumped on me, that’s when I realized, because I didn’t know (my breast) was painful until then.” Bramwell went to the doctor and soon after was diagnosed with breast cancer. Within a week, a cancer specialist successfully performed a mastectomy on her right breast. “I wouldn’t have known,” said Bramwe
4. Dogs are not ashamed to show their feelings. They snuggle close and lick your face whether there are people around or not.
3. People with dogs live longer. Dogs give people a reason to go on living. They make life bearable and they love without bounds.
2. People who have dogs are less prone to illness. Dogs keep their humans calm and are the best stress-relievers around. Any dog owner will tell you that no day is complete without a snuggle and a hug from their pet companions.
1. Dogs don’t interrupt. Sometimes we just need someone to listen. Get a dog and you will know what we mean.