Top 15 Things Dogs Do for Us - Lessons We Can All Learn

“Buy a pup and your money will buy love unflinching that cannot lie.”

Today is national dog day. What a great idea to celebrate they greatest partner our species has ever had. 

Second to marrying my amazing wife, the best decision I’ve made was to bring Athena, our wriggling little rottie, into our family 3 years ago. She has brought so much love, character building experiences, laughter, and companionship I will always be in her debt. Maybe after my wife and I have children my order will change. Maybe not.

Humans and dogs, which science now classifies as a sub species of the Gray Wolf, Canis Lupus, have the closest inter-species bond in the animal world. No two other species share both the extreme empathy, cooperation, and history of loving faithful partnership. The science behind how humans can subconsciously understand the non-verbal emotional queues from dogs and of course vice versa is remarkable.

If you have never had a dog as part of your family, or maybe not since you were yourself a kid, let me refresh you on some of the myriad real benefits they bring, from the obvious to the more obscure:

1. Joy — Have you hugged a furry four-legged friend? Watched a puppy play? Your average number of smiles and laughs per day will skyrocket post purchase of a puppy. Playing with your dog releases famed love hormone oxytocin in spades.
2. Exercise — As a responsible dog owner you’ll be walking your dog multiple times per day and once outside you’ll probably find yourself spending more time running, exercising, and hiking than you ‘need’ to.
3. Time in Nature — dogs love nature. So do people. You’ll spend more refreshing rejuvenating time in the great outdoors (assuming your area isn’t too un-friendly to dogs with restrictions.) Science shows the calming benefits of time spent in greenery.
4. Friendship — Paradoxically you will find yourself socializing with other humans more— it is easier to connect with strangers and you build new routines. You’ll make friends with other dog owners in your neighborhood and around the world.
5. Adventure — You and your dog will do things good, bad, fun and stupid and they will give you random experiences and stories of which an interesting life is made of.
6. Air Cover — Need an excuse? ‘the dog ate my homework’. ‘Nuff said. Ok, 2 more grown up options: ‘have to leave now to walk the dog’ or ‘need to take my dog to the vet’.
7. Responsibility — Actually doing those things you use as excuses. Better, the gift of knowing you have the ability to make another creature’s life great, or not. Its motivating and spills over into other areas.
8. Patience — Have you trained a dog? 2 keys: simplicity and repetition. Repetition.
9. Sense of Humor — the cute inadvertent behavior is only topped by the cute behaviors you realize they have learned to use to get treats and cuddles. It also helps when you awake in a puddle of dog urine after letting your dog sleep with you.
10. Perspective — when you pick up someone else’s poop several times a day you realize at least 2 things. A) Your dog’s poop doesn’t stink as bad others’ and B) doing the ‘dirty’ work isn’t so bad. Its not a big deal and an infinitesimally small price to pay for the joy they bring
11. Discipline — don’t feel like getting up on Saturday morning? Rover won’t wait. Your choice is get up and walk, or when you do get up you’ll be wiping up urine. The choice is yours.
12. A Teacher’s Mind — Training a dog forces you to understand the the mechanics of learning and behavior change and that will help you teach other humans better, including yourself!
13. Tranquility — showing a picture of a dog’s face to its owner has been shown to cause the release of happiness inducing brain chemicals. Duh. When I find myself on a middle seat at the back of the plane picturing Athena’s face keeps me from punching the guy hogging the armrest.
14. Presence — you will find yourself infectiously enjoying the moment when with your dog. Sniff the grass (or your neighbor’s anal scent glands), run for sheer joy, or just be mindful of peaceful time not spent working.
15. Love — its all about love in the end. As a famous 100 year Harvard University psychology study showed, in the end the biggest drivers of human happiness come down to the amount of love and positive relationships in their life. Your dog will always be there for you.

If you are like me, then even though you grew up with dogs and some of your fondest memories of childhood are filled with romping balls of fur, snow, mangled tasseled hats, and slobbered-on man-children you may hesitate to bring a dog into your life. As an adult the very real costs of having a dog jump to the forefront of your mind. I can’t travel. They are expensive — to feed, medical care, dog walkers etc. I can’t just stay at work late. In short, they restrict your options and limit some freedom. And that’s true. But they are so worth it.

Having a dog is not right for everyone, and given your current circumstances owning a dog right now may not be fair — to the dog. If you aren’t ready to commit to putting its well-being on the same footing as your own then you aren’t ready. But when you are ready to do that, the other costs will fade away and you will find its the best investment you could ever make.

That said, don’t take bringing a dog into your life lightly. They are a serious multi-year commitment. Not every dog will be a good fit for you. Do your homework on understanding the temperament and behaviors of different dog breeds and find one that will fit your lifestyle. You don’t have to completely nerd out and keep a detailed spreadsheet for years analyzing and listing different breeds and attributes. You could also ask me or some other dog-obsessed nerd.

If you live alone the work is a little harder without someone to share the responsibilities of care but the benefits of having a loyal companion are that much more valuable. If you are alone or lonely, get a dog. It is the single simplest step to becoming a happier better person.

Ready to get Rover? Awesome. You CAN buy love and happiness. If you do buy a dog, please use a responsible breeder. But want to really up your hero game? Adopt.

If you haven’t yet brought a dog into your family where you will be the primary person of responsibility you probably will never feel like the time is right. But don’t wait too long, the time is never perfect, and you won’t regret it if you commit.

This post is dedicated to my past dogs who are now in the beyond — Frisky, Sargent, and Odin. And to my favorite furry family members — Athena and Tessa.

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About the Author

I’m a cofounder and CEO of travel startup Stride, www.stridetravel.com,where we help people spend wisely on the second best thing money can buy — adventurous vacations. Rover, the Stride Travel Guide Dog will fetch your perfect professionally-planned trip in just one click.