5 Lessons Dogs Teach Their Humans

One August a cute little pooch curled up on next to me on a couch and stole my heart. Five years ago I brought that little pooch home. Happy five years to being the best of friends, Little One! If you read my blog, you know she always finds a place on my gratitude lists. She’s been such a blessing in my life and I’ve learned so much from her. In honor of five years with Little One, I thought I’d share five facts you may or may not know about her, and five lessons dogs teach their humans.

5 Things About Little One

1 // Her name is Mina. I knew I wanted to give her a name inspired by literature. At first, I tried to name her Hero, after the character in Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing. It’s my favorite play and she’s my favorite character in it. Hero didn’t seem right. My other choice was Mina, after the character in Dracula. (Yes, she does have a little Dracula toy.) And that fit her! I wanted to give her a nickname on the blog, which is why she’s known on Dreams, etc. as Little One.

2 // She doesn’t play with toys. She also doesn’t play fetch. She doesn’t like to chew things, either. (Other than bully sticks, which she discovered when my pastor and his wife gave her one for her birthday last year.) I have a basket full of dog toys and a few of them have a few strings that she’s pulled out in her rare moments of throwing a toy around. Other than that, nothing. There is one stingray toy that she has played with in the past. It’s looking a little loved, but it’s still in tact and safe for her to play with.

3 // She’s a tummy rub fiend. If you follow me on Instagram, you probably know that. This girl LOVES her tummy rubs and she’s always holding out hope you’ll give her some, even if she’s across the room. (And yes, she holds out hope, because she gets them a lot. Even if she’s across the room.)

4 // She moves with the cutest little wiggle. And she gets even wigglier when she’s excited about something. I don’t know what to say other than 💙💙💙.

5 // If she likes you, she licks the tip of your nose. It’s so cute and sweet.

5 Lessons Dogs Teach Their Humans

1 // There’s always something to be happy about. She always, always, always makes me a smile. A little ray of sunshine–or, as I like to tell her (since I absolutely love rainy weather)–she’s my rain cloud on a sunny day. If I’m sad, frustrated, stressed… she brings me joy.

[Tweet “You can always find happiness. Look for your ray of sunshine. Or your rain cloud on a sunny day.”]

2 // Laughter is good for the soul. I guess this fits in with #1, but I always think of it as something special. The little shenanigans she gets into, how she whimpers when she really wants to bark at the squirrels outside… she always does something that makes me laugh, and it always feels so. good.

3 // You need to take breaks. I have to get outside each day–you know, to take my pup out. I can’t spend a Saturday attached to my computer without breaks. And that’s a good thing. It’s great to get outside for some fresh air. It feels good to move around. Whenever I have to get back to work when we go back in, I return to my work feeling refreshed and invigorated.

4 // Be still. I like to keep myself occupied–whether it’s working, writing, reading… you name it, I just want to be busy doing something. And yet, taking time to just be is so important. She reminds me of this in a variety of ways: whether’s it’s a long break to sit with her and give her tummy rubs, or if it’s when she gives me The Look if I try to rush her back into the house after she’s been outside. (Unless it’s dinnertime, of course. That’s when she drags me back into the house. 😂) I realized the importance of taking time to be still once Little One came into my life.

[Tweet “We don’t have to hustle all the time. Take time to just be.”]

5 // Love unconditionally. When Mina decides she loves you, she loves you with all of her being. She hears you and her tail thumps against the floor. She hears the garage door open and she waits by the door for you to walk in. When you’re sick she takes care of you (…and hopes she can sneak away with a tissue). If you cough or sneeze, she checks in on you. If she sees a killer turkey in your yard, she’ll bark to scare it away. When she loves, she loves. And I hope that I can love the people in my life the same way she loves the people in hers.

(PS – Just kidding about the killer turkey. The killer part, not the turkey part. There is a turkey that walks through the yard every day. Mina is a little concerned that it might be plotting against us. 💙 )

And there’s one lesson Mina would LOVE to have me learn. Bedtime = 10pm. Good luck with that one, pup.

[Tweet “What’s one lesson your dog would love to have you learn?”]

What has your pup taught you? And I’d love to hear something about your pet!

[Tweet “Dogs are human’s best friend. Here are 5 lessons we can learn from our loyal companions!”]