I Choose to Live Like a Dog

“This is what makes dogs different from humans:  they remember the one good experience and expect it will happen again and will happily pursue that chance. Humans remember the one negative, overlooking all positives to the point of making their life miserable.”

Author Unknown 

When I say “I choose to live like a dog,” I don’t mean living outside in a doghouse wearing only a collar. I mean having a dog’s attitude. When I read the above quote a few weeks ago, it reminded me of September 10, 2018, when my dog Sunny did something that changed the way I look at life in a split second.

I was miserable that day. And I thought I had a pretty good reason to be. Why? Because I had gotten sick. So, my plans that day were now just to lay down, do absolutely nothing, and let myself be miserable.

So what changed my mind? I decided to scroll through Facebook and saw that it was “National Hug Your Hound Day.” Just in case you don’t know, two of my favorite things are hugs and dogs. 

I went to my Mom and asked her if she could take a picture of Sunny and me. As I got treats and posed to hug Sunny for the picture, she made it “pawsitively” perfect as she leaned into my hug!

I had been so miserable that day, but as soon as Sunny leaned into my hug, all I could do was smile. Even though I had been miserable all day, she wasn’t. She was looking forward to my affection, my hug, and her treats. Since then, I try every day to choose to look for the positive in any situation. When it comes to attitude, I choose to live like a dog.

Do you have any stories of how your dog and his or her attitude turned your day around?