Dogs Don’t Get Depressed

My wife has been asking me for years to write an animal story. I just haven’t gotten around yet, kind of like fixing the gate. So when the time finally came around, I told her I could write her a tender story filled with despair or a weary story laced with hope; what's your pleasure? 

            When I was single, I would get depressed. Friends would say to me, "why don't you get a dog? You know dogs are never depressed." I would ask them, "why's that?"  Is it because their brains are smaller?" What could I possibly learn from a dog? I didn't know why, nor would they be my friend. I thought, what kind of advice could a dog give me?  "Have you tried lying in the sun until you are boiling, then go lay in the shade? Feels pretty good."  How about eating your dinner so fast you don't know what happened.”

            Then I met my wife Linda, a true animal lover. She has owned dogs, cats, rats, hamsters, birds, lizards and worked at a zoo. She has handled hissing cockroaches and tarantulas and let snakes drape over her body.

            Fast forward a year later; I brought home a puppy Labrador retriever for my wife Linda's birthday. This made her very happy and the dog happy. That dog has never been depressed, even thirteen years later. Now we have three dogs, the last two she found abandoned, and now they are not depressed. They live a life that looks pretty uncomplicated in fact; they only appear stressed when the gardener shows up with the leaf blower.

            My rule is relatively straightforward with dog ownership; if you are not giving them attention, then don't own one. When I reflect on the dogs in my home, I can tell you how each one taught me something about life. Riley, my 110 pound Labrador, has taught me that no matter how tired and worn out you may feel, she can still chase the Frisbee one more time. She is saying, don't be a quitter, I can go all day. What's your issue?  Starr, my four-and-a-half-pound Chihuahua, teaches me every day that there is nothing better than a cool breeze in the face with your head out the window. She is saying, be here right now in this moment. Tucker, my thirteen-pound mix of terrier and Chihuahua who loves to ride in my truck but is so ready to go back home as soon as we get to our destination. What he is saying is, "it's all about the journey, stupid. "

            Some dogs make you wonder why you brought them into your life. Some bark all of the time, others chew your wife’s 300 hundred dollar boots, and worst yet, some pass foul gas in your bedroom.  There is such a rise in dog ownership because they can feel a void in your life. Getting unconditional love every day is something that is so needed in our society. So next time you come home from a hard day at the office, get ready for the love machine that waits at your door. Give them some attention, and hopefully, the love bomb you get in return takes the edge off.