Getting a dog has made my life way better. Here are 3 ways how

I grew up on a farm with every kind of animal imaginable. My dad loves animals and it always seemed to me as a kid that his goal was to become a sort of second coming of Noah, and get one or two of every kind of animal. We had all the normal farm animals, like horses, cows, goats, and pigs. But we also had a llamas, guinea fowl (a really annoying sounding bird that looks really scary but also eats mosquitos, so it kind of equals out), and even a rare breed of sheep that had four horns.

In addition to all these animals, there was a carousel of cats and dogs that came and went over the years. Sadly, part of living on a farm is the occasional death of an animal is inevitable, and so I learned to not get too attached after my favorite dog, Tom, got hit by a car, and my first goat, Annie, died after a pregnancy went wrong. I enjoyed our dogs, but never really developed a super meaningful connection with one like you see in the movies. Also contributing to this was the fact that all the dogs were family dogs, and seemed to look at my Dad as their owner and alpha.

Fast-forward to this year and I am 25, about to turn 26. I have a love for dogs, but I did not inherit my dad's fervor for other animals, but we have been hesitant to get a dog because we had been in college and renting for the last few years. My Instagram feed is always full of cute dog videos, and I really wanted one. Meanwhile my wife and I had just bought our first house less than a year ago, and we have a big yard, over an acre and a half, more than enough for a dog to roam and be happy.

At one point we went to the pound to see if we could find a dog that we liked and that would be a good fit for us. We looked at several, but they were all large dogs, and we were hesitant to take on such a large animal that would be a handful to take care of. So we decided to hold off, and we didn't really discuss the topic of getting a dog again for awhile.

Until one day, a few days before my 26th birthday, I was scrolling through Facebook Marketplace, and a listing jumped out at me. "Pitbull, 2 years old, very sweet, free to a good family,". The dog was super cute looking, and a Pitbull is my dream dog. I know the stigma that surrounds them, but in my experience, they are sweet dogs unless raised to be otherwise. I also find them to be extremely cute-looking. I love their large heads and mouths, and their stocky bodies. Intrigued, I messaged the lady thinking it was too good to be true, there must be something wrong with him to be getting rid of a Pitbull for free. Surely he had behavior issues.

She responded quickly, saying that there really isn't anything wrong with him, but that his previous owners had moved into a place that didn't allow pets, and so they had dumped the dog off with her. She said he was super well behaved, and that she would have loved to keep him, but that she already had three other large dogs, and a fourth was one to many. I decided that was reasonable, and asked his name. Loki, she told me.

I immediately began to beg my wife to go and look at him. She was not interested, and likely would have shut me down out of hand had my birthday not been in a few days, and I had not asked for anything this year. Plus, he was free, and came with a leash, collar, food dishes and a really nice metal kennel. All we had to pay for was food for him. Eventually she acquiesced, and we went to see him. I immediately fell in love, and a few minutes later, I was on my way home with my new dog. The previous owner told the truth, to this day he has behaved very well, and doesn't fight, chew, dig, or do anything bad. Mostly he just wants as much love and attention as he can get.

But that night laying in bed, a million thought ran through my head. What had I done? I had just signed up to take care of an animal that Google says can live for 12 years or more. A 12 year commitment? Did I make the right choice? What was he going to do to the lawn? I stressed myself to sleep that night wondering if I had made the right choice.

I have now had Loki for three months, and I have loved every minute of it. 10/10 would recommend, he has been wonderful, and he has really changed my life. I recognize that I got really lucky with him, and not every dog that comes free off Facebook Marketplace is going to be a great dog. But Loki is, and the impact he has already had on my life in three short months has been amazing. Here are three ways, that being a dog owner has made my life better

1-Fitness

I had been wanting to get back into shape for a long time, but have struggled to be consistent. I have had a crazy schedule over the course of the last few years, between moving all the time and college, it has been tough to get into a routine, and I am someone who needs a consistent routine. I cannot just do random things at random times, I crave structure and organization in my life.

So when I got Loki, and all of a sudden I was forced to go and play with him multiple times a day outside, that routine was a forcing function for my to instill a sort of routine into my life. I was getting up earlier to take him on walks and feed him before breakfast, taking a break to play with him in the afternoon, and then taking him on a long walk in the evening. So just from doing that, I was automatically spending more time outside walking around and moving around. But that quickly progressed.

Some of the walks I was taking him on were as long as 2-4 miles sometimes. As I was taking him on these long walks, I couldn't help but think that I could be running with him as well. So I started taking him on short runs every day. I quickly found out that pit bulls maybe aren't super interested in going on long runs, but it got me into the routine of running every single day. As of the date of this writing, I have gone on a run every single day for the last 75 days, almost three full months. That may not sound like much to the workout freaks, but to me it is significant and a huge win, and it has instilled in me the consistency I have needed.

2-Love and Unlimited Affection

I don't think that Loki was mistreated by any of his previous owners, but I don't think that he was given near enough attention by them, either by his or anyone else's standards. It seems to have been the case that he spent a lot of time in his cage. So after the inevitable adjustment period, which lasted only a few days, he started to really bond with me quickly and deeply. Now, after about four months, I am his favorite person in the whole world.

I have a pretty big backyard, and a small pasture that I believe used to have goats in it before we bought the place, and Loki lives in a large pen just inside the pasture with a pretty good sized dog house so he has plenty of space, but it keeps him contained because we don't have fence yet. So every time he hears the sound of a house or car door opening, he rushes to the gate of his pen and wails.

And when I say wail, I mean he WAILS. Like a toddler crying for attention. Which I guess he kind of is. But it is very distinctly a wail, not a bark or a whine. I know that huskies have a reputation for wailing and carrying on, but I had never heard of pit bulls doing it. Maybe I'm ignorant, but I was not really prepared for that. It is a plaintive, desperate, hopeful cry begging for attention. And when he sees me heading over to him to let him out to play, he comes tearing out of his pen like a rocket and sprints in circles around me and back and forth, panting with excitement. And while he seems to get tired of running and playing after awhile, he will still follow me around for hours like, well a puppy. He always is happy to see me, he can never get enough love and affection, and he gives it back in equal part. I love when he bows his head and buts it up against my side or rolls over for belly rubs. He loves to rear up on his hind legs and flop his chest and front legs down on my lap so I can give him neck and ear scratches and tell him what a good boy he is.

My wife obviously loves me, but as a married man who works from home, I don't have many friends outside of her. So making a new one who loves me and always wants to hang out with me and do anything I want, is really nice, and it makes my heart happy to think about how much he loves me.

3-Feeling of responsibility

I don't have kids yet, and I don't delude myself by thinking that having a dog is anything like having a child. But, it is definitely something to know that a being is completely dependent on me for survival. He needs me for exercise, for food, water, shelter, companionship. In the winter he needs me to stay warm, and in the summer he needs me to help him stay cool. My wife obviously depends on me for certain things, but at the end of the day, she is an able bodied capable woman, and if I weren't around she could provide for herself. But if I were to disappear, Loki would have nobody.

That knowledge that he depends on me gives me a sense of responsibility that is what motivates me to go out and take care of him every day. It gives me purpose, even if it is as small as taking care of a dog, he is still small life that I am responsible.

In conclusion, Loki is my friend, and his presence in my life has blessed me in many ways. And while he doesn't talk back, I have had a lot of conversations on our walks that have helped me to clear my mind and find peace as I try and make decisions and figure out what I have going on in my life. His unmitigated joy when he sees me makes me feel love and affection, and the long walks and runs have gotten me into much better shape even after only three months. I am lucky to have a place to keep him and the resources to take care of him, and that in and of itself is a blessing.

Getting a dog may not be for everyone. But if you like dogs, or think that you might want one, I would advise you to first consider if you are in a position to take on that, because it really is a responsibility. And if you are, you should definitely get one, because a dog will bless your life, as it has mine.