It’s More Than Just How Cute They Are
Wagging their whole bodies and barking, their eyes wide open, even–dare I say it–smiling to see me, these two girls welcome me. They’re not even my dogs; I’m house sitting, but Stella and Kook couldn’t care less about irrelevant human things like who pays the mortgage. All they know is I love them, and they return that love with an exposed underside and invite to play tug-o-war with a rawhide bone. We’ve been fast friends from the moment we met.
I’m guessing, if you’re reading this, you have at least one special dog in your heart, too. Go ahead. Take a minute to think about your fur baby.
Don’t you feel a little better already?
The human-canine bond is magical because it gets to the heart of what it means to be human. Income level, career status, education level, gender, age, weight, religion, diet plans, even fashion sense are invisible to dogs–they see only our hearts. We sense this and become rather idotic around our dogs, speaking in high-pitched baby talk and stooping down to rub and scratch them in ways we’d never touch another human.
How is it dogs have this effect on us? Research shows that the human-canine bond releases the second highest dose of the love hormone, oxytocin–the highest being when a parent first sees a newborn baby. Over their lives, dogs elicit more oxytocin from us than our kids.
Dogs may see through straight to the human heart, but what is it about dogs that captures us so completely? I mean, think about it. They leave bombs in the yard. They bark at stupid things. They chew up your expensive new running shoe–the left one so you have to get a new pair because no one sells right shoes–and don’t get me started on the muddy paw prints.
“My dog doesn’t do that,” you say, which is the first thing I said when I re-read that list. The thing is, my dog (who is really my housemate’s Himalayan terrier, but Heath wooed me and has me) used to do all those things, and for almost a whole year! All that is forgotten now, and all I see is the adorable little bearded face, the sweet kisses and hugs I get when I walk in the door, the cuddles at night, the fun of playing fetch and chase and keep-away.
Here at Pro-Tek™ we adore dogs. We’re taking the whole month of August to celebrate National Dog Day, to celebrate the special bond you have with your dog. Our cleaners are 100% non-toxic and pet-safe, and we even have an all-natural Dog is Love shampoo! It repels fleas with non-toxic essential oils and smells amazing. For messes, your go-to is Clean-Zyme, which literally eats pet stains and odors.
Who is the special dog in your life? Tell us about your fur friend in the comments. Happy National Dog Day!
