8. Dogs Give You Practice Loving

This morning, after Hoss finished his breakfast, he sat at the base of my feet and stared appreciatively into my eyes. I started rubbing his head and saying loving things to him, like, "You are so beautiful. You are such a good dog. I am so glad you are in my life."

It occurred to me that those are exactly the kinds of things (well, minus the "dog" part) I should say to the other significant ones in my life.

7. Dogs Make You Get Out More

We've been taking Haus for nightly bike rides around the lake. How glorious! It's so nice to get exercise and a cool breeze after dinner. Plus, it's fun to watch him run with straightened back legs. He whips them around like egg beaters. And, if he gets going really fast, he moves them nearly at the same time, imitating a horse. How cool is that? Thanks, Haus.

6) Dogs Get You Free Stuff

Neighbors that we've never spoken to started talking to us when we walked by their house with Haus on our way to dinner this evening. They were relieved that we had adopted Haus because they, too, worried about his welfare with his former owner. They explained that they used to throw food over the fence for him, and once they called the police because they were afraid he was going to get left outside in 20-degree weather.

At the end of the conversation, they offered us a gargantuan bag of dog food that they no longer needed. Free dog food. How cool is that? Thank you, Haus.

5) Dogs Force You to Explore New Neighborhoods

When I took Haus to school with me, I was forced to take him on a potty break around the school. Although I've worked there for almost a year, I hadn't yet roamed the neighborhood. I enjoyed the experience of watching elderly residents tend to their homes and actually found a rambling gulch trail. How cool is that? Thank you, Haus.

4) Dogs Deepen Relationships

I have a colleague at work whom I enjoy during meetings, but our relationship has never gotten personal. However, on a teacher planning day, we both brought our dogs to school and took them outside for a little play date. While the dogs raced and wrestled, my colleague and I talked about our lives and our interests and our partners. How cool is that? Thank you, Haus.

3) Dogs Bring Neighbors Together

Matt and I always make a concerted effort to get to know our neighbors. You never know when your refrigerator is going to break down and you'll need an emergency place to store perishables. However, we didn't really, really talk to our neighbors until we got Haus. Now they invite us to their side of the fence so Tula and Haus can wrestle. We talk about politics and wedding planning and country line dancing. How cool is that? Thank you, Haus.

2) Dogs Are Conversation Starters

Matt took Haus running on his usual trail for the first time today. This time, a woman on the trail started a conversation with him about Haus. They discussed different options for obedience training, as well as different philosophies. She recommended that we rent the Dog Whisperer series to better train him. How cool is that? Thank you, Haus.