How has having a dog made your life different? What dog-inspired changes have you made?

We’re not talking about just in the past year, where life for everyone has changed dramatically. We’re talking about how living with a dog, over the span of time, has changed the way we live.

Dog inspired community

In total, we have to credit dogs with some of the best times in our lives, and bringing us some of the best friends. Entire communities, both in real life and online, of people we wouldn’t have known if not for our mutual love of dogs. Either because of a shared breed, or shared interest. 

And those interests are as diverse as the people sharing them. From dog sports (Obedience, Rally, Agility, etc.), to dog nutrition and wellness, to disease management, to bringing smiles every day with goofy pictures of silly things our dogs do. 

So many people coming together just because we all love dogs. 

Living the changes

One of the dog-inspired changes we see people make is having “dog rooms.” We’re so envious! A specific space set up with crates, and maybe a grooming table, even a waist-high tub! Talk about a dream come true! In our little house there’s constant rearranging. 

We kidded ourselves that our little area in the basement was a “workout” space. And Fran actually does use it for that. But it’s really a place to play training games with our dogs, with safe mats for tractions and jumping and shelves with dog toys/equipment/treats/clickers. 

A friend of ours (and her husband) built a new house about three years ago. And a major part of the design planning was where to put the dog room, with good access to the dog’s potty area, and how to grade that area so it would be good for the dogs. They did have to change it up after a year in the house – the dog’s fenced area wasn’t big enough, so they expanded it. But our friend still can’t get her husband to do “poop patrol.” Some things don’t change at all.

Getting out and about

It’s our belief that most people would be happier and probably healthier if they had dogs. Think about it: dog people have to get out of bed every day and do stuff. We have to consider another life’s wellbeing every day. And the vast majority of us have to put on shoes, go outside, and get some fresh air with our dogs. Even when it’s below freezing, even if it’s snowing or raining, even if we’d rather pull up the covers and go back to bed. Our dogs give us a reason.

We also wonder if dog people are less deficient in Vitamin D. Since it’s produced by sunlight, we think it’s possible dog people have more than others. Just a thought. 

Dog-inspired adaptations

Another great thing about each dog in your life – you have to adapt. Every dog, just like every person, is different. And a new dog in the family inspires adjustments. Simon’s (Fran’s 2-year-old Boston Terrier) the latest addition to our family, and the house rules have changed. The most notable one: if you want to find your shoes, leave them someplace behind closed closet doors, or above Simon’s reach. He doesn’t destroy them, he just carries them around. It’s pretty darn cute, actually. Which is why he’s still doing it. Simon figured out fast how to make us laugh.

The best medicine

That’s probably the biggest dog inspiration – learning how to live in the moment and enjoy the moment you’re in. Dogs are excellent at it.