The Man in the Mirror

Owning a dog is a decidedly WEIRD thing.

If your roommates woke you up every morning at the crack of dawn, prevented you from going out after work with friends, cut short your vacation, pissed on your rugs, crapped on your floor, ate your shoes, and vomited on your car seat, you would kick them to the curb.

Add in fleas and ticks and the occasional weird smell because he or she likes to roll in deer poop? Call the police!

And yet people gravitate to dogs.

WHY?

What INCREDIBLE thing does a dog offer that makes all these liabilities seem trivial?

The answer is that dogs are a mirror in which we see ourselves, NOT AS WE ARE, but as we hope to be.

We love dogs because dogs AFFIRM what we want to think about ourselves.

The dog is a MIRROR that presents us IMPROVED.

We may be boring, but the dog tells us we are interesting and EXCITING.

We may come home feeling dejected and tired, but the dog tells us we are MAGNIFICENT. The dogs are DELIGHTED to see us, and they tell us they have waited all day for the privilege! We may be common as a turnip top, but our dogs tell us we are special.

We may be awkward and present with bad breath, but out dogs tells we are worthy of adoration.

We may be sarcastic, grumpy, and self-centered, but our dogs say we are kind and loving.

We may be thick as a brick, but our dog tells us that we are WISE, and a near-GENIUS.

We may be weak and challenged, but our dogs tell us we are POWERFUL and worthy of respect.

We may be little more than a cog at work, but our dog tells us we are the most important person in the world

And, of course, our dogs are HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY to see us.

Our spouses aren’t always happy to see us. Our kids aren’t always happy to see us. But the dog is always THRILLED.

We love dogs because of how they make us FEEL about ourselves and we NEVER FORGET the people or things that make us feel good about ourselves.

Not to be sexist; it's the woman in the mirror too.