Tell me about the love for your dog

[Kidspartytroll]

We're planning on adding a whippet puppy to our family next year. Neither of us have had a dog before but will figure it out (with the help of a professional dog trainer 😅 and lots of research).

But we also kind of don't really understand the love that people have for their pets. Like, people LOVE their dogs. We have a child so can understand that, is it a similar sort of thing? I've always been a bit unsure if you can love animal as much as humans but people really seem to and we're hoping to feel like that once we have one!

Tell me about your love for your dog!

He's the love of my life.

If didn't happen immediately. In fact since he's a rescue and was a teenager and completely untrained I spent the first 6 months thinking I'd ruined all of our lives. I think I cried every day for the first 8 weeks.

I ADORE him now. He's so funny and sweet and SO adorable 🥰

My boy is the love of my life. I rescued him when he was 18 weeks - I went to meet him, picked him up and he just nuzzled into my neck. DH came home to find another dog in the kitchen but fell in love just as quickly as I had thankfully! He really is the other half of me - he's just the most special soul. He's kind, gentle, funny, inquisitive and an utter nutjob on a walk. He's now 12.5 and on heart medication as his mitral valve is failing. I had 2 weeks earlier this year where the Vet told me he may not get through a bad patch and couldn't eat/sleep... I'm dreading losing him even though he's doing much better. I won't know who I am without him but I thank my lucky stars that I've had these years with him.

I've not got a dog and maybe will never get one now, because I doubt any would live up to the one I had growing up. If there was a perfect dog he would be it. Gentle, intelligent, kind (if a dog could be kind), playful, soppy, obedient, comical, keen to please, loving. Growing up as a teenager he could sense when I was ill or sad and sit as close to the sofa as he could (he wasn't allowed up on the sofa as was too big). And either rest his head on my lap, or nuge my hand to stroke him. If I used to sit on the floor he would try to crawl onto my lap. He was big, so could only fit his front legs and head on. I stll rememer the feel of his bony elbows digging into my thighs....😢

He loved the excitement of Christmas morning and knew it was special. He knew he would get his own stocking but would wait patiently for us to open ours first.

He loved to look for his toys that we hid, sniffing his way to them. He knew exactly what it meant when we took a toy off him and told him to wait outside the living room for 30 seconds. We'd shut the door, hide his toy somewhere then open it again to let him in and he'd be primed to go searching, wagging his tail excitedly.

Broke my heart when he started to want to spend time on his own when he got very old. He was withdrawing and just wanted peace and quiet. I knew the end was coming. 😭

God I welled up reading this....yes, they are there in your solitude...beautifully put.

I love my girlie so much. There is so much you need to teach them. How to walk on a lead, recall, general manners around other people and dogs, drop it, leave it, fetch etc. there is such a bond that builds up through the time spent working on things like that. the sense on achievement when you’ve cracked something new is great.

The sound of a dog snoozing be that heavy breathing or snoring is also a delight and very calming somehow.

they are also really good at making you laugh and the greeting a dog gives you when you return home from even 5mins away from them is so lovely. You are unlikely to get such an enthusiastic greeting from another family member 😃

I love my boy so much. He is my friend and my comfort, he can be an absolute dickhead but he loves me deeply and I love him too. I have met so many friends because of him, I am fitter and happier because of him and on nights when the teens are chilling in their room and DH is at work, it’s me and him on the sofa having a cuddle, when he puts his head in my lap and snuggles in with a little sigh it is so lovely.

I think this sums me up as well. I don’t get the ‘soul mate, best friend’ feeling with my dog. I (almost) always liked him, but he was hard work as a puppy. Still is in many ways. I only started enjoying him properly from the age of about twenty months. I’m not sure whether it was because he was approaching two, (we had him from a pup), or because I started an activity with him, that i could enjoy him more.

@Tryingatleast majes a good point that you are introducing a new ‘being’ into your house, with their own quirks, demands and behaviours. Another ‘person’ to consider in your daily life.

And mine isn’t a snuggje babe, although you see numerous photos of his breed snuggling up to people online.

Our dog is nearly 5yrs old.

When we got her I thought she was lovely and I cared for her. But the bond has grown and grown... both ways - as she trusts and shows us love.

As she's got older her personality comes out stronger. I honestly love her more each day.

I've never owned a dog,but have been lucky enough to have had 2 in my life that have been special

First,my childhood dog susie (a heinz 57 dog if ever I saw one)
My parents got her as a rescue as they where told they'd never have dc so did the classic 'we'll get a dog to help bridge the gap')
She taught me how to walk (id grab her fur,she'd stand up and drag me along with her),how to behave around dogs,to look after them and to never,ever paint her nails red or you will get into trouble (she just laid there and let me do it-the red looked very fetching with her black coat...)
She would listen to me practicing my reading,never bullied or judged me and was my bestest friend in the world
I will never forget the phone call to say she'd died (I was at my grandads when the call came)
She'd started messing in the house,so was taken to the vet and they said it was cancer
They put her down there and then-no chance to say our goodbyes to her,nobody let me know until 2 days later
I'd left the house,said goodbye and that i'd see her at the weekend,left and never saw her again
It was like she hadn't existed at all

Almost 40 years on,I miss that dog so much

The second dog is our friends dog ziggy (half whippet half staffie)
He has a line on his face and a button on his neck (his markings!)
I can spend ages 'beeping' his button (while he looks at me like im mad) and he knows all my little secrets
He's going grey and he looks even more handsome than he did as a pup
He's a big part of the story of my relationship with dp and we both adore him
He will spend ages trying to lick dps ears (we think he likes the wax!) and will ignore me once hes in there
He runs like a rabbit (sort of bounces) and is very in tune with my emotions (we often have him if his owners are away) and I'm I'm upset,hes been known to cuddle me until I'm happy again
He's just an amazing dog and I'm so lucky to have him in my life's getting old now and ill be in pieces when he goes

I have multiple dogs and love them all so much, they are so different and have the funniest quirks. What makes me well up is that they share with each other and cuddle up together.

One of them is beefy and very strong and when the tiny crippled one gets her ball she just lets her have it, it’s very sweet to see. She deliberately looks out for her.

They’re such unexpectedly good creatures, they don’t steal from each other and they look out for each other.

Watching the joy in my dogs when we’re out walking lights up my day. The way they’re so excited when I get home from work. They share my bed at night- one tucked behind my knees, and the other by my shoulder.

They make all my days better, and I love them very much.

Yes to this. My current dog, our fourth as a family, is my extra special dog. He came to us at eight weeks and was supposed to be DH's dog, but he bonded with me, and me with him, and that was that. He's ten now, the canine love of my life, and I dread losing him. He'll be my last dog, I think. It was difficult enough losing the previous three, but it'll break my heart when this one goes.

We have a schnauzer too!

I love our dog beyond words. He is the absolute light of my life.

@Alhambraeva So beautifully put. You have utterly captured the melancholy of having an aging beloved dog and the, what I thought was indescribable, grief when they leave you. Your post has really helped me understand myself a bit more. Thank you.

My dogs a stubborn arsehole but I find it really endearing and like him for it. I wish for more cuddles but he’s just another family member. Our precious dog was constantly cuddling and when he died we couldn’t even be in the empty house. However, I have to say that he holds us back now Dd is older. We couldn’t even go on spontaneous holidays but everything has to be planned meticulously as I only feel comfortable having one person come and stay with him. We miss out on a lot. It’s worth it to us but I won’t be getting another for a while. I did say that last time - lasted 4 months.

Oh I know exactly what you mean also.

We do eyeballs 🤣

I'm glad you've loved a jack xxxx

I got my first dog, an 8 week old Lab puppy, at the beginning of June. He’s now nearly 6 months old. I also have a nearly 8yo DS.

I have always loved dogs but was not prepared for how much I love my own. I’ve only had him a few months and I am besotted. I wasn't expecting it at all! I find it a different type of love to the one you have for your child but no less powerful if that makes sense? I feel more complete with both of them. We are all currently chilling on the sofa and practically lying on top of each other 😂 well, they are both on top of me and the puppy is lying across both of us!
I won’t lie, I have found managing them both together to be the hardest part of having a puppy so far. I’ve had to train both of them to have respect for each other and I’ve needed teach DS to be respectful around dogs but they’ve really found their vibe with one another now and their bond is beautiful to see!

I love my dog very much, but he definitely isn't like a child to me. I adore how happy he is and how he gets genuinely excited about seeing me-even if I've only been to take the bins out! Life was a bit easier before we got him, but I don't regret having him. He's a bundle of joy and a lovely addition to our family.

We were lucky enough to spend a lot of time together when she was a tiny puppy, thanks to a combination of the Covid lockdown and being able to take her to work with me! Despite her size (she's considered to be a "large" Collie), she's very portable and just wants to come everywhere with me. She's happy to be petted when out and about in the community, smart enough not to shoplift if in pet shops and to wait at roadsides (she looks comical when looking for traffic before crossing), and also to double as my over-enthusiastic cheerleader, housemate and work colleague. As a trained sheepdog, she saves me a lot of time and stress when it comes to herding livestock!

She was the one who gave me a reason to get up in the morning when I needed it most. She taught me responsibility, and that everything would be OK, as long as we are together. I look after her, and she looks after me. She's my wing-woman in any vehicle, even if I do occasionally have to budge her from the driver's seat. When it was clear that I was packing up my car and moving out, she decided to pack herself in the passenger seat and gave me The Eyes, just in case I might have thought that I was allowed to move out without her. Years later, she's still the smiling face that greets me when I come through the door. She's sometimes the one that I get funny looks for having conversations with in public, when she insists on sitting to cross the road to visit the butcher's shop, even when I don't have any money on me, or it is the wrong day for free bones. Overall, she is just a very happy and kind soul, who brings me so much joy!

Good luck with your new furry family member, OP! You'll have a ball😀

We have a 2 year old cavapoo who is our first dog and wow has he changed our lives! We are all obsessed with him and can’t imagine our family without him now. We had no idea what we were doing and made the decision fairly quickly but In hindsight it has always felt like it was meant to be. There was a reason that it happened that way and that we found him.
He sleeps in bed with us, is loving, clever and has the most wonderful personality (biased much!). Since he joined our family we now pay so much more attention to other dogs and have definitely become dog people!

So many lovely stories on this thread.

My dogs are my first children. I adore them. They are like small people that live in our house, with funny little quirks and a lot of demands. They are clingy and high maintenance, but have given me so much stability (I got them pre husband and kids) when I needed it. One is highly strung, intelligent and glued to us. His brother loves to sunbathe, and is more independent, odd, beautiful and not very intelligent. Couldn’t be without them. Owning pets is quite limiting though

I can only explain it by saying she’s like a little piece of my soul wrapped in fur, trotting about.

We have three dogs and I love them all. But dog number 1 is my special Dog. It’s fair to say he saved my life really. My exh had just left me for my best friend when I got him. I was in a new job and failed my probation as I was very very depressed. I would just about get my two then little kids to school then just cry until it was time to get them. My lovely dad got me this mad jack Russell puppy. And I loved him from the start. He made me get up and get out. He needed lots of attention and love and he loved me back and kept me company when my children were with their dad-time away from them I never wanted and that I found excruciating at first. I’m not sure I’d still be here without him. We nearly lost him last year-but he came through. He is 10 so I know we might not have much longer left with him and I’m dreading the day he goes.

Dogs are awesome. A few months ago we took on a difficult rescue dog (extremely reactive to everything and looks to have a lot saluki in the mix, so stubborn as an ox). I've owned reactive dogs before, but she's next level and currently impossible to calm down once she gets worked up. Had to cut our walk short earlier as everything was setting her off, people, dogs, parked cars. Had a brief wtf have I done, maybe I'm not the right home for her moment? She's now laid cuddled up to me and I thought, we'll get there with you 😍