The Reason I Love Dogs

Everyone who knows me knows I love dogs.

But why?

A friend recently asked me this question and I had to really think about it. I mean, sure, dogs are fun, and awesome, and cute, and they provide unconditional love. They’re great listeners, they provide protection, they keep you laughing, and they comfort you when you need it.

But those things are all universals. Which is quite remarkable when you think about it. What an amazing creature, the humble dog.

So I gave the question of why I love dogs some thought. And after about a day, it struck me

Dogs keep me in the moment.

As human beings we’re blessed (cursed?) with sensing the future and seeing in the past. And we spend a LOT of time in these two places.

“Life is what happens to us while we are making other plans.” This line, which is in John Lennon’s song, “Beautiful Boy,” but was actually written by cartoonist Alan Saunders, perfectly captures how most people I know live. And if it’s not the future, it’s the past. It’s the same for me as it is anyone.

However, the older I’ve gotten, the more I’ve learned that life is not lived in the future or the past. But in the now. The right now. For example, as you’re reading this … you’re only reading this. And in a minute, this moment will become the past. You might do laundry later, but right now you’re reading this. That’s why this moment is all that ever really exists.

And my dogs remind me of this fact every single time I look them in their big beautiful eyes. They aren’t thinking about yesterday. They’re not thinking about tomorrow. They’re thinking that right now, as they gaze into my eyes, life is pretty fantastic.

Yes, keeping me in the moment is the thing I love most about dogs. Because in these beautiful little moments with them, only one thing exists—love. And that’s pretty cool.

❤️