Best-Friend Friday

Welcome back to my weekly theme day blog post! For the newcomers, this blog is the third segment of my weekly theme day blog post "Best-Friend Friday." In these posts I will choose a different reason of why everyone should have a dog as their best-friend.

This weeks reason is that having a dog changes lives. Many people talk about how getting a dog has changed their lives for the better. Here, for example, the author of “How My Dog Saved Me From Myself” summarizes a book that was written about a woman who had a significant change to her life after adopting a puppy.

Dogs add responsibility to a persons life. If you haven't had a dependent before having a dog as your best-friend can be a great first dependent. You have to nurture and train them if you get them as a puppy. Dog best-friends force you to stick to a schedule of walking and training. Keeping you occupied when you are bored. Changing your values and views on life.

Not only does a dog change you, but more importantly you change the dogs life. The famous quote for an unknown author, "To you a dog is only part of your world, but to your dog you are their world." This quote hits hard with me. Even though it may be a made up quote, it makes sense. For those of you that already have a dog I challenge you to create a better life for your furry friend. I found a list of ways to "Make Your Dog's Life Better," please use this list. Our dogs love us and they deserve a happy life.

I want to finish this theme day with an explanation of how Zeplin has changed my life. He taught me that I am not the center of the universe. Also, he showed me how to become an adult. Before him I had no responsibility. I stayed out late, drank, and wouldn't sleep before work. Now I have a reason to go home and not drink because I have to drive home to take care of him. I relax with him on work nights instead of hang out with friends. He taught me that I am much more than what I thought I was. For that I will always be grateful.

Photo of Zeplin teaching is puppy friend how to sit.

Thank you for reading feel free to post comments and questions. Also, I did not forget about the adoption site of the week. This weeks adoption site is less of an adoption site, but more of a site for adopting and changing lives. Here is The 360 Project.

Best-friend Friday

This is the second installment of my "Best-Friend Friday" themed blog. Yes, this blog is supposed to be on Fridays, but this week I am behind on schedule.
Just a brief overview for the theme of this blog if you are a first time reader. Every Friday I will post a blog themed around a different reason everyone should own a dog. This week our reason is the adventure that comes with having a dog as your best-friend.

I have had many adventures with Zeplin. He is the reason that I found hiking, but that is not the only type of adventure he has brought me. We have had scares that took us to the emergency vet, played in the snow on a frozen lake, and camped in many different places. Our most memorable adventure is one where we spent two days hiking and camping at Turkey Run State Park. All of these things I would not have done if I didn't have him.
Other than those types of adventures having a dog as your best-friend requires a person to get outside and walk or play. Many people spend too much time indoors without getting exercise. The statistics on exercise by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services shows how little physical activity Americans get. Dogs need physical activity to stay healthy and having one requires you to get physical activity by walking them.
With the weather getting better, Zeplin is ready to go on many more adventures. It is always nice to have a workout companion and a dog is good choice.
As the summer coming fast I ask you to think about adding a dog to your list of best-friends. It will be a decision you won't regret.
To continue with my promise in my first blog, this weeks adoption website is one close to home. Heartland Small Animal Rescue is a group located in South Bend, Indiana. They have all kinds of animals available for adoption. Also, they rescue dogs and cats from shelters that euthanize once they are over populated. If you are thinking about adopting a pet please contact them.
Feel free to continue a conversation or ask any questions in the comments section.

Best-friend Friday

Life with a Labrador is a site meant for me to share my experiences with my best-friend Zeplin. Here is the first blog for my new theme day blog for "Best-friend Fridays." Every week I will post a new segment of this blog. Each segment will be focused on a different reason why everyone should have a dog as their best friend, including my personal experiences with specific situations involving each reason.
For my first Best-friend Friday I will focus one of the top reasons to recruit a dog as your best friend, unconditional love. Studies from the Anxiety and Depression Association of America show that in 2016 more than 15 million adults in the United States suffer from depression. Dogs are known to have unconditional love for their best friends. This has a huge effect on people who suffer from depression. An article named "Mood-Boosting Power of Dogs" talks about a dog's impact on depression.

Let me step back for one second. I refer to dogs as best friends because they are more than just a pet that you own. Dogs have a way of sensing emotions and understanding facial expressions of their human best friend. In my own experience, when I am sad, Zeplin snuggles up on my lap to comfort me. He understands that I am in a depressed mood. When I am mad he stands next to me trying to lick my hand or my face, which ever he can reach at the time. He does this until I crack a smile. After I smile he becomes excited because I am starting to be happy again. Most dogs love their people more than they love themselves. This is unconditional love. Whenever I need a friend I always know I can count on Zeplin.

Unconditional love is a special thing to have. I wouldn't say I suffered from depression, but I had my moments. In every one of those moments I turned to my best-friend.

In conclusion of all of my Best-friend Friday posts I will supply a link to a pet adoption website that I believe can be helpful to people looking to adopt a dog. Think of this, for every person that suffers from depression there is a best-friend that is waiting to be adopted to comfort them. This weeks featured adoption site is The Shelter Project.

The image above features Zeplin showing love to my girlfriend while she is trying to take a nap.

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