Here’s a photo of my dog, Maggie. She’s one years old. I love her like she’s my baby. I can’t begin to tell you how much she has helped me and my Bipolar Disorder. 

One day last summer, the local weatherman said we were in the “dog days of summer”. Ever wonder why they call it that? When the heat and humidity are high, energy and appetite are low, and you just cannot cool down or get enough water; ‘they’ want to call it “dog days”, like it is some sort of insult or bad thing. I think there is something very wrong with this kind of logic!

I am a seriously big doggie fan. I do not think it is a coincidence that ‘dog’ is God spelled backwards!  Of course, as a Christian I do not believe in coincidences any way, but that is a technicality in this point. Every child should have a dog during their upbringing.  I think it is one of childhood’s greatest treasures. There is something super special about the relationship between a child and a dog.  Everyone who has ever owned a dog will tell you that they are as much family as the people who live with them. I believe there is a place in every person’s heart that can only be filled with the love of a dog.  

A quote by author, Ben Williams says it best, “There is no psychiatrist in the world like a puppy licking your face.”

In a word, dogs are awesome! Here’s why. This is a list of things I have learned about dogs during all my years of being a pet-parent… 

• Dogs need to be talked to… if you want to create that special bond you got to talk to him/her every day!
• Dogs are loyal without failure.   
• A dog will love you no matter what, even when you’re angry with him/her.  Even when s/he is angry with you, it is very short lived and s/he will always run to greet you when you get home like there was never a problem in the first place.  
• Your dog will always protect you!  Granted that is difficult for some small dogs to do just by nature of their size, but some little dogs have no clue that they are little!  They think they can take on a big dog with no problem!  I had a Pomeranian like that… he picked a fight with a German Sheppard next door once! My dad had to go over there and rescue him. Anyway, in the end, your doggie will try to protect you when you need it!   
• To make your dog completely happy all you have to do is come home!  All you have to do to make him/her happy is just be there, love him/her, want to see him/her, and believe in him/her. Anyone who’s ever owned a dog will tell you that one of the most heart-felt things in life is to open that door at the end of a long day and see that little tail wagging at its fastest!
• Dogs are truthful.  
• Dogs are beautiful! Yes, even wrinkly dogs! 
• Dogs are dependable. S/He will never let you down.
• Dogs are forgiving. There will never be a problem that s/he won’t forgive you for! 
• Dogs are faithful.  
• Your Dog is your friend. S/He will listen to you when you talk. S/He will let you cry and not complain about having to listen to you. S/He will let you scream and yell, and s/he will not dump you from his/her life as a result. S/He will listen to your laughter; and s/he will sit with you and not “say a word”, yet still have a great time doing it!
• Dogs are good; truly good by nature.
• Dogs are loving. All s/he wants is love and to be loved by you. 
• Dogs are reliable and will never let you down. 
• Dogs are trustworthy.
• Dogs are wholehearted.
• With all the beautiful things that a dogs heart demonstrates to us every day, those hot, humid summer days do not seem, to me, to be very ‘dog-like’. Dogs are obviously very unique creatures which have a special place in this world. There’s no greater friend in the world than a dog. 

 by Carley Cooper;  Website: CarleyCooper.com; Blogs: Breaking the Window, Worship Melodies and Tin Roof Sundae.  Also connect with me on Facebook and Twitter.