Some say that a kid’s life can never be complete without having the experience, or privilege, of taking care of a dog or vice versa. Dogs are life teachers. Dogs teach both young and old, how to love. And, having a dog will give everybody a chance feel how it is to be loved. There is another saying that no one can ever love you more than your dog, not even yourself.
But, how long can we have the pleasure of the company of our dog.
Life Expectancy of a Dog
Almost everybody is going around saying that a dog’s 1 year is equivalent to 7 human years. There are those who explain a dog’s life in a more understandable manner that on a dog’s 1st year, he is likened to a 15 year old teenager and on his 2nd year , he is already like a 24 year old adult. Though they differ in their manner of explanation and value, one thing is distressful to young dog owners; dogs don’t really live that long.
Small dogs are expected to live from 15 to 16 years. Medium and large size dogs live from 10 to 13 years. And, giant dogs such as mastiffs only live from 7 to 8 years.
This means that a dog lover from birth, who gets to live until the age of 80, will have to suffer the loss of 5 small dogs, 6 large dogs and 10 giant dogs. Though this is a very pessimistic way of looking at it, it is something that a lot of kids are worried about.
Father, Son and Dog Story
There was a little boy who always looked into his dog’s eyes with both happy and worrisome eyes. It did not take long before the boy’s father noticed this and so, he asked his son why he had such deep loneliness when he played his dog. The son did not answer the question but instead, threw his own question. The boy asked his father how long his dog will live. With that question, the father already knew what his son was so worried about.
The father showed his son a mango. He said that eventually, that mango will be rotten. But, he said that they have a choice of eating and enjoying it or just wait for it to rot. In both cases, it will be gone.
Quality of Life
A dog’s life is indeed very short but, it could be very meaningful and wonderful.
A dog’s life is always related to his master. Have you ever gone home and seen your dog looking through the fence as you approach? He has been doing that since you left. Have you ever seen your dog wiggle his tail every time he sees you? That is uncontrollable enjoyment.
Think of yourself wiggling your hips because of too much joy. If you can’t find yourself doing that; then, you haven’t experience that kind of super joy feeling. But, your dog has. That is every time you spent time with him. There is even this clip in YouTube where a dog literally passed out from too much happiness when his master got home.
Can you imagine how your dog feels every time you hug and kiss him?
Now, for sanitary reasons you have to make sure that it’s safe to give your dog all that love. First and foremost, deworming.
Kissing your dog and having his saliva run all over your face and mouth can cause infection and deceases. Make sure to take your dog to the vet and have those standard shots to keep yourself and him healthy and safe.
Next, you have to deal with the fleas, ticks and overall cleanliness of your dog. Loving is hugging and kissing. But, loving should start with caring and bathing. This is something you can do on your own.
There are different kinds of dog soap. There are those that focus on getting rid of the odor. There are those that focus on making the fur soft and smooth. And, there are those that focus on getting rid of fleas and ticks.
Getting rid of fleas and ticks could be through the soap that you use. Or, it can be in the form of a powder that you need to dilute in water and splash on after your dog’s regular bath. And, there are the solution drops that mix with your dog’s sweat and not only kill the fleas but, protect your dog for a month.
You can also take your dog to a grooming salon like Petco and treat your dog to a day at the salon where he can enjoy the handling and grooming of pet experts who know exactly what your dog needs to keep him happy and clean. Then, you can enjoy him.
When your dog is clean, you can embrace him whenever you want and make all his dog years, quality year for both you and him.
