One of the biggest challenges I have at the moment is trying to keep things in perspective. It’s never been a personal strength. For the most part everything is a crisis or completely unimportant and the middle ground mostly doesn’t exist. That’s where the dogs come in. Mostly because they don’t care if it’s a crisis or if it’s completely unimportant. Every day they’re absolutely happy to see you come home. They’re happy to eat the same food for breakfast and dinner day in and day out. They’re happy to just sit and only really demand an occasional pat on the head or rub under the chin. No other expectations. And absolute, unquestioned loyalty beyond the shadow of a doubt.

No matter how stupid a day I’ve had, there’s something about a wet nose bumping into you, or a lick, or a battered and well-chewed ball dropped at your feet that makes most things better from the minute I walk in the door. That’s the simple value of dogs. They’re one small slice of sanity in a world that is otherwise mostly mad.

This isn’t as much of a tribute as I had hoped it would be, but for a post inspired by getting sprayed with half a cup of bulldog slobber, I guess it’s not bad!