National Dog Day

Apparently today is National Dog Appreciation Day. My initial reaction to hearing this was 'Even dogs get a holiday?' Then I jokingly pictured a bunch of single women with trust issues at some community event at the park with their dogs, in matching outfits, legitimately celebrating the holiday. But after all my cynicism subsided, I thought "Well shit, what am I going to do for Dakota?"

We've had our salt 'n pepper Miniature Shnauzer for almost 7 years now. I had never owned a dog before and my then girlfriend had grown up with a Miniature Shnauzer. Naturally she pulled her mental ninjitsu and convinced me to get a dog the size of a large cat that required haircuts. Having grown up with cats in the house, a dainty pet was hardly new to me and when the people selling her pulled into the parking lot of our condo, I fell in love.

No bigger than a squirrel, this puppy was gently put down onto the concrete about 20 feet from me and like she already knew me, she sprinted across that wet pavement and immediately began smelling my pants and giving me those little puppy barks in excitement. This was foreshadowing at it's most subtle. The people came in and "interviewed" us while my girlfriend and I played with her on the floor next to the fireplace. My two cats steered clear, but when they did see the new family member they basically mean mugged, then went on about their night. It was instantly clear that this dog was going to fit in just fine.

We named her Dakota.

I happened to have gotten laid off a month or two prior to getting her, so it was just me and her for the bulk of the day for the first few months. It was as stressful as watching a child all day at some points, but we built a bond of playfulness and trust while I pretended to look hard for work. If you've got a soul and like animals, the interaction with your pet is typically pretty easy, but it's equally as easy to take for granted what they actually mean to you.

As I type this, Dakota sits there at attention on the carpet looking at me while one of my cats licks the side of her face. Not staring in a creepy way, but in a manner I've had to grown acustom to. I think it's a mix of not wanting me to go do anything fun without her, partly watching in hopes that I will have sneaked a snack by her that I may also drop on the floor. But I also like to think she is protecting me in some manner. I'll be the first to say that my dog is among the smarter dogs I've ever encountered, but she is an emotional wreck. So by saying 'protect', I really just mean she'd be the friend at the bar to just yell "look out" as a dude came barrelling across the room.

She is smart enough to master a dozen tricks and hand signals. She's smart enough to have graduated obedience school and continue into the advanced classes. She is however is so bad at managing excitement that we got expelled from the advanced course of obedience school. And if our daughter is asleep and anyone (my wife and myself included) is going to come in the front door of our house, they must first text whoever is expecting them to deal with the dog appropriately. Once she calms down, she's as normal as they come, but as she made clear in the parking lot of our condo so many years ago, new people get her excited!

But you know what? With all of her quirks, I wouldn't trade the little monster for the world.

She would follow me into Moridor, she doesn't take off if given free reign and no matter what happened that day, when I got home she is always happy to see me. She cuddles with everyone in the house including the cats. I recently saw her first hand defend one of my cats. Literally scared the piss out of a neighbor cat that was trying to flex in our front yard. She is a trooper when you go for a walk or jog. She will walk at your pace the entire time and when she gets home, she walks straight to her water bowl, re hydrates, then finds somewhere to collapse for a while.

I take her for granted some times when I really shouldn't. Dogs may not give you an intellectual stimulation of any kind (except when you're trying to figure out how the hell they got out of their pen), but they will teach and condition a number of your emotional cues on a regular basis. That's an underrated quality of a pet. Dogs are empathetic and are typically very sensitive, so it's good for people to interact with their pets. I think the one thing everyone has to remember about their pet is that they have a few fundamental rights as your pet.
-They deserve to be fed and sheltered (Don't get one if you can't afford one) (That goes for kids too)
-They deserve exercise and attention. If you're going to get a Pit Bull, don't make him live in an apartment.
-They deserve your protection and love. Hot cars, kennels for long periods of time, ignoring. All bad.

Typically if you get a pet, I'd like to think your intention was to care for it and hopefully you all are. But for those of you that love your dogs every day, remember to give 'em an extra belly rub and a milk bone tonight. They spend so much of their time trying to love you, it's time we repay the favor. And although I sort of despise another "holiday" because I know each new celebration is tied to revenue in one way or another, I am not afraid to find the silver lining in anything silly.


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