Go Adopt A Dog!
America claims to be the land of the free, yet so many dogs are stuck in tiny little prison-like cells, freezing during the cold season in poorly financed dog shelters. It doesn’t matter if they are puppies or older doggies, all dogs deserve a home and more importantly a human. Humans can help improve a dog’s life by showing them love and affection while taking care of them. This dog-human relationship is not one-sided in order to make the dog’s life better, it’s actually a symbiotic relationship.
I volunteered for the local ASPCA and there were countless, sweet dogs waiting and hoping for a loving home. It was heartbreaking and compelled me to adopt my own puppy, Thor. It has been almost 7 years since I opened my heart and brought my baby home, I still have no complaints. I was not mentally mature enough to take on the full responsibility of dog ownership when I got him in the middle of college, but I was able to keep my baby alive. Whatever stage of your life you are in, it can be improved by adopting a fur baby.
The summer, 7 years ago when I adopted Thor, began with me getting arrested for public urination in the backyard of my fraternity house when the lines for the bathroom were literally about 30 people long. This resulted in my college suspending me for a semester due to the arrest. The combination of these events felt like all of my years of hard work at school in order to be successful came crashing down. I was certain the rest of my life would be an epic failure.
About two weeks after leaving college for that summer vacation, my girlfriend broke up with me. She was justified for doing so by the way that I treated her, but it tore my heart out. It took me months to get over her. It was a tough summer for all of my friends because most of their relationships ended as well. We spent a lot of our time together, drinking and talking about our failed relationships. It created a very depressing social environment for me.
To make matters worse, I let a guy die. Not just a guy, but a father. I was a lifeguard at a local man-made beach. A Russian man who was in a traveling circus went swimming in the water, in a restricted area. I was the lifeguard monitoring the water and I watched this athletically built man swim around this lake for a while. One time, he went under and just never came back up. I ran into the water, but I couldn’t find him anywhere. By this time, I had already blown my whistle and the other guards and his friends were all in the water looking for him. One of his friends found him and dragged him out of the water. We immediately began CPR. The hospital claimed we saved his life, but he was declared brain dead.
I was ready to kill myself that summer, I contemplated it hundreds of times. I drank all the time, popped pain pills, and did anything possible just to feel less. I adopted Thor because I was stuck in a massive state of depression where I found zero solace in anything. At the age of 19, I was ready for my life to be over. I needed someone or something to be dependent on me to give me a purpose and a reason to continue living. I was really lonely and I did not feel I had anyone that I could talk to about everything. I was not even sure if I wanted to talk to anybody about my whole ordeal.
Thor became that someone.
Today, Thor still improves my life. He continues to teach me how to act responsibly and ensures that I do not spend too much time away from home. He has to go on multiple walks every day, which forces me to get outside and exercise in the sun, which has aided in my weight loss and overall mental and physical health. He gives me an insatiable amount of love and it is unconditional love, especially when he brings me a toy every time I walk through the door with his tail wagging vigorously whether I had been gone for 10 hours or 10 seconds. We do not have to talk about anything and we never argue, we just cuddle and love each other. He sleeps curled up aligned with my hamstrings and calves every night and removes all my feelings of loneliness which used to encroach me at nighttime. Even while living by myself, 13 hours away from my closest family members, in a new city that I moved to during coronavirus, I have my best friend to keep my company. He helped me make friends with other dog owners in my apartment complex and around my new city.
As we end this year, there is an overwhelming sense of isolation effecting everyone. Go out this Christmas season and adopt a new best friend. Remind yourself of the importance of unconditional love, loyalty, and friendship. Why wouldn’t you want to adopt a dog when they can bring so much positivity to your life?
PickmeSC.com is having an adoption specials until December 13th for FREE or LOW rates
