My Best Friends

     Ever since I was born, there has been a dog in my life. When I was born, my parents had a pitbull named Molly, then came along a mut named Bergan, then we had a yellow labrador named Hunter, and now we have two yellow labradors named Sandy and Silas, and two yorkies named Ollie and Fred. Dogs have been a huge part of my life. In so many ways they have taught me things like looks can be deceiving, to be loyal to your friends, and trust your instincts.
     As a child, I was never afraid of dogs, but I had a little cousin who was scared to death of my dog, Hunter. She would never get more than 5 feet away from Hunter, and she would run away if he tried to go towards her. Finally, I told her that even though he may look scary to her, he is one of the nicest dogs on earth. She eventually got over her irrational fear of Hunter, and they became very good friends. This taught me that looks can be deceiving. A dog that looks like it would rip you to shreds could, in fact, be the nicest dog on the planet. I took this realization and applied it to how I see people. I try my hardest to not make assumptions based on people's appearances, but that isn't always the easiest thing to do.
     Another thing that my dogs have taught me is to be loyal to your friends. I know for a fact that my dog Sandy would never betray me, except for maybe a Beggin Strip. No matter what happens, Sandy will always love me, and I will always love her. We are best friends, and the time that I have spent with her has taught me that if I want that type of relationship with a human, then I need to start with being loyal. Loyalty is what shows your friends and family that you are there for them whenever and wherever. Because my dog is loyal to me, I can trust her to stay with me when we go places. She is an unchanging figure in my life, and I try my hardest to replicate that in myself when around my friends. When you think you've lost everything, take a good look around, I guarantee your dog will still be there, full of love and admiration.
     Dogs have an uncanny ability to sense that something is wrong. Although there is no scientific evidence supporting dogs can sense danger, or dangerous people more accurately than humans can,  I believe that they can.  Our dogs bark when somebody comes to the door, but when out in public they love the attention that they get from others. It is very out of character for them to growl or raise their hackles at people, so something must be wrong if they are showing these behaviors. They trust their instincts when it comes to others. To cut things short, trust your initial instincts of a situation or person, before you let the mental chatter in your mind tell you you're wrong. Your gut instinct is usually correct.
     Dogs are a huge part of every one's lives.  There's no telling when, where, or why, you will encounter a dog, and subconsciously learn something from them. A.A. Milne, the creator of Winnie the Pooh, once said "Some people talk to animals. Not many listen though. That's the problem." If your dog bristles when a certain someone comes around, why not listen?