I’m grateful for my dog

During all of the craziness of coronavirus, I have had many things that have kept me sane. One of my favorites is my dog.

Whether he is curled up in a ball, tanning in sunny spots he finds around the house, jumping into my arms to give me a hug, or getting so excited to go on a walk he won’t even let me close the door behind us, he is always his bright happy ball of fur.

His favorite thing that he absolutely needs every day is to bark at something. It doesn’t matter if he is just attacking the wind, he needs to bark. Who knows why? Maybe he can see ghosts.

Usually, he starts in the afternoon when I am wishing it was summer, so he allows me to have a quick break to see what is out there or sometimes to bark with him.

His walks have become longer since this all started. More time for everyone in my family to walk him. We go on adventures together. We explore the area around our house, venture down random streets, smell different mailboxes. He does that, not me.

When I get annoyed with him smelling all of the mailboxes, we race each other. I usually end up victorious, but there are times when he finds his inner wolf and passes me.

He reminds me that good can come in all shapes and sizes. He reminds me that routine is important, even if it’s the simplest things like barking at air. He reminds me that once this is all over, going back to a normal routine will be tough; he can barely stand one of us leaving the house now. When we all leave, he will feel left behind.

He reminds me to think of the good times ahead and the good times we can have right now. He reminds me to relax.

I am thankful for man’s best friend.