SSB, you may have read this before but if not I thought you might like it, as might other dog-lovers on here:
Just A Dog
From time to time, people tell me, ?lighten up, it?s just a dog,? or ?that?s a lot of money for just a dog.? They don?t understand the distance traveled, the time spent, or the costs involved for ?just a dog.?
Some of my proudest moments have come about with ?just a dog.? Many hours have passed and my only company was ?just a dog?, but I did not once, feel slighted.
Some of my saddest moments have been brought about by ?just a dog?, and in those days of darkness, the gentle touch of ?just a dog? gave me comfort and reason to overcome the day.
If you, too, think it?s ?just a dog? then you will probably understand phases like ?just a friend?, ?just a sunrise?, or ?just a promise.?
?Just a dog? brings into my life the very essence of friendship, trust, and pure unbridled joy. ?Just a dog? brings out the compassion and patience that make me a better person.
Because of ?just a dog? I will rise early, take long walks and look longingly to the future. So for me and folks like me, it?s not ?just a dog? but an embodiment of all the hopes and dreams of the future, the fond memories of the past, and the pure joy of the moment. ?Just a dog? brings out what?s good in me and diverts my thoughts away from myself and the worries of the day.
I hope that someday they can understand that it?s not ?just a dog? but the thing that gives me humanity and keeps me from being ?just a man?.
So the next time you hear the phrase ?just a dog? just smile, because they ?just don?t understand?.
Anon