Why You Just Can't Help but Love that Dog!

Maybe it's the velvety wet nose gently brushing up against your hand in the morning. Maybe it's that whip-like little tail racing back and forth at what seems like the speed of light the moment your car pulls into the driveway. Maybe it's the long, loping walks to nowhere in particular. Maybe it's that fact that none of your human friends seem to be quite as good at listening … or understanding.

The reasons vary from dog owner to dog owner (or, as we like to think of it, "one who is owned by a dog"), but one thing is certain -- you can't help but love that dog! The dog human relationship is an important one, and is at least 10,000 years old (experts quibble over exactly when domestication occurred, but it's safe to say these pooches have been with us for many thousands of years). Dogs provide us with not only companionship and amusement, they give us that one thing it is so hard for us to give one another: unconditional love.

Through new jobs, new lives, new homes, new relationships -- our dogs are always there, cheering us on and standing (or sitting, or rolling over, or playing dead) firmly in our corner. And when you think of it that way, it's no wonder that no matter how many shoes get chewed up, how many blankets get shredded, and how many dinner guests are "enthusiastically greeted," you just can't help but love that dog.

This article was written by Joy Randel. Get more great advice from Women's Toolbox contributor Joy Randel at: www.DazzleDogDelight.com.