impRAWvise 

Since I was little I always wanted a dog. I just thought that dogs were cute and fluffy, and my life would be so much happier and wonderful if I had one, therefore I kept asking and asking, again and again my parents to get me a dog. When it was about this time of the year, meaning winter holiday, Christmas time and so on, or around my birthday, which is in May, I would try again and again to convince my parents to get me a dog, I would promise that I would take great care of the dog and so on and so forth, showing them that I have done my research, as a young child can do research on this topic, but nope, it did not work. I did not get a dog, but I got and kept getting, lots of dog related stuff, dog books, dog toys, and so on, but not a real dog. I was very disappointed at the time, but I kept dreaming that one day I will have my nice cozy place to come home to, and lots of dogs running around and filling my days with joy, wonder and awe.

Now when I think about the fact that I got my first dog (which I am and have been raising by myself) when I was 30 and so I was a so called grown up, but I was still not ready for the whole thing, I kinda understand and think that maybe my parents were right by not getting me a dog when I was little, a dog is a huge responsibility, and not just an impulsive choice that you make one second and then you change your mind about it. A dog is a life long (meaning for the length of the dogs life) responsibility and should be treated very seriously and be an assumed choice. Of course, its not about falling into a different extreme, no one has to do it all perfectly, but at least we do have to make sure that we are being ready for the life long commitment and the challenges, not only fun things, that it brings. I got my first dog almost 3 years ago, she is already 3 years old now, but I adopted her when she was already 5-6 months old and honestly it was a real struggle. Not necessarily because she was a difficult dog at first, she did have some reactivity issues when she grew up, but at first it was mostly difficult because of the unexpected things that life can bring us in general.

I got my second dog this year, its been significantly easier this time, but still some struggles have been there, and when you get two dogs, they also need lots of individual care and attention in addition to the basic care and needs that have to be met. So basically there is added responsibility that comes and grows exponentially as you get more dogs. As I have navigated the logistics of owning and living with two dogs, I started to notice and celebrate their unique personalities and ways of being, as well as their pure joy and unconditional love that are present on a day to day basis. A dog is just a blessing, for sure, I haven’t seen honestly something that makes me so spontaneously laugh or just shake off a bad mood like something that one of my two dogs just spontaneously does and shifts my mood in just a second. If this is not magic, I don’t know what it is. But, as much as it is a blessing it is also, and I want to emphasise one more, a huge long term commitment and responsibility.

Sometimes when I am taking myself too seriously, it is usually my dogs, Maya and Lola who remind me that life is also supposed to be playful and fun, and the way that they can shake it off when something is not ok for them is just absolutely fascinating, just shake it off and move on, be playful and be present and enjoy your day. Lola its still a puppy as she just turned 6 months old and its so absolutely adorable when she cuddles next to me just like a baby, or she lays her cute and fluffy little head and brings me to tears of joy. Its amazing. Maya is wonderful as well, especially if and when she notices that I am not ok and I lay in bed in a bad mood, she sits next to me trying her best to cheer me up. Its moments like this that make a difference and have a huge potential to turn around the outcome of a potentially sad or bad day, as I let them show me what true unconditional love feels like and I do my very best to take great care of them and mirror back this amazing energy that they bring into my life on a constant day to day basis.