On Hanging Out With A Dog

This week’s essay is dedicated to Edgar McCollum, a poor little old dog who broke his leg this week but is on the road to recovery.

I love dogs. I’ve loved dogs my entire life. They’re perfect creatures, from the biggest, sweetest, drooliest dogs to the smallest, meanest, yappiest dogs, they’re all perfect. I love seeing dogs on Instagram. I love seeing dogs walking down the street. I love seeing dogs on twitter and youtube and television and in my dreams. But, obviously, I love hanging out with my family’s dog the most.

My dog is a big, sweet, eight-year-old German Shepheard named Sophie. My parents rescued her when she was about six months old and it was love at first sight. This angel had the longest legs, the biggest ears, and the curliest-squirrel tail that I’d ever seen on a dog. And her personality is as interesting as her looks. She’s a sizable dog, but she’s got a real nervous side to her. She isn’t overly clingy and never wants to cuddle. She’ll basically sit in your lap if you have food, though. 

That personality is what makes hanging out with her so enjoyable. When I get to house sit, Sophie spends the first day or so moping that my parents are gone (in her mind, probably forever) and sitting by herself. Every time though, if I give her space and let her dictate interactions, she’ll come out of her shell and hang out with me. She might even let me give her a piece of bacon from my Lucky Boy breakfast burrito.

I’ve been lucky enough to not only have two dogs in my life, but to have had the chance to really hang out with quite a few different dogs. They all have completely different personalities and looks but they’re all absolutely perfect. There’s Blondie, a grey pitbull who was basically a dead ringer for a seal but one of the sweetest, cuddliest babies I’ve ever met. There’s Edgar, a tiny mutt who looks as much like a raccoon as a dog, who’s blind, and stinky, and mean if you approach him wrong, but my girlfriend loves him like he was Lassie. There’s Buffy, some kind of poodle mix who was so fancy she needed her food warmed up to the perfect temperature, and so defiant that you’d tell her she’s not allowed on the bed but every time you came home she’d just be standing on the bed…staring at you. 

And then, of course, there was my first dog, Matilda. She was the most neurotic, insane, hyena-like mutt that you’d ever meet, but I loved her all the same. Even though she once ate an entire large pizza off the counter. Even though she’d spend her time at the dog park sitting under a bench and foaming at the mouth. And Even though she spent my childhood herding my friends and me into the corner of my back yard because deep down, she was just a really good shepherd. 

Hanging out with a dog is such a joy. They’re the sweetest creatures on the planet. It doesn’t matter if they’re smart or dumb, if they’re beautiful or mangy, if they’re well behaved or a little crazy, dogs are wonderful, and hanging out with one is just the best.

If you’ve got a dog, ever had a dog, or just have a favorite dog on the internet, let me know all about them!