As a pet dog, my life’s pretty set. I always have food in my bowl, toys around my house and my four humans at my disposal. I always have someone to rub my belly, someone to take me on walks, someone to bathe me, someone to groom me and I always have an entourage of people to adore me. I can eat whenever I want, sleep whenever I want, play whenever I want and basically do whatever strikes my fancy. Sounds pretty great, doesn’t it? But everyone seems to think that this is all that I do every day. Little do they know that I too have a role to play.
So, what exactly do I do? What’s my role you ask?
Well as a pet to my four humans I perform a variety of roles. I’m a brother to my two sisters, a son to my parents, I’m the glue that holds and brings this family together, I’m the one who comforts my family during a crisis, I’m an emotional support animal and so much more. Honestly, the list goes on and on. I practically discover a new role every day.
So, how does a little dog like me do all this? Let me walk you through it.
First and foremost, I’m a member of this family. That means my priority is to be a brother to my sisters and a son to my parents. Like a brother, I trouble my sisters when they don’t give me enough attention, I bug them when they’re studying, I trick them into giving me their food, I steal their toys and the spot on their beds. As a child to my parents, I beg them to get me new toys. to let me sleep on their beds (especially my dad’s side). This is the role I love playing. Being a member of my family. Though this role is all fun and frolic, I do have more serious roles.
Being an emotional support dog is one such role in particular. I have a sixth sense. It detects when something is wrong with one of my family members. That’s when my role as an emotional support dog comes into play. I can pick up on sad signals and then act on it. As an emotional support dog, I provide comfort and strength to the person in my family who needs it. This role was instrumental in guiding my elder sister out of depression. My presence puts my human to ease and helps them cope with their anxiety or depression. After all it’s a proven fact that dogs reduce stress!
Another role I play is that of bring my family together. They say that the mother is the one who holds the family together but for my family its me! The sole decision of getting me home brought them together so you can imagine how impactful my role is. I hold the family together during a crisis. I bring them together and celebrate with them in times of joy. With me, they’re all connected with each other and all of them have the purpose of loving me. That’s another thing I do- I help them find their purpose!
But my most important role is loving them limitlessly. I teach them the value of unconditional love. No matter what the situation, I will always love and support them. Because that’s my purpose as a dog. To love them and always be there for them. Because without love, what’s the point pf any of this?
So, you see? There’s more to me than meets the eye. Whatever my role is in this family, I love all of it. And even if sometimes these roles are hard for me to perform, I know that I can always count on my family to help me out. After all, Family sticks together right?
Great story.