Have you ever had a best friend? Do you remember why your friend was so special or why the two of you had such good times together?
There is a saying that a dog is “man’s best friend”, and in a lot of ways, that really seems true. Think about how a dog is with a person. He is always glad to see you. He is always smiling, with that big, panting grin. If you are sad, a dog will come up to you and put a paw on your arm, trying to help. If you need to talk to someone, a dog is there to listen. You sometimes don’t need anyone to say anything, but just to listen.
Dogs are sometimes described as “faithful”. If you have a best friend, then that friend always wants to make up, even if sometimes you hurt his feelings, right? A dog is like that, too. If you accidentally do something that hurts a dog, he may go away from you for awhile, but he always, always forgives you when you say you’re sorry.
Dogs always are ready to do what you like to do. If you want to walk down the street to your neighbor’s house to see what’s going on….he’s ready. Or, if you just want to hang out watching TV, he’s okay with that, too. A friend is someone who likes to do what you like and a dog takes it one step further. A dog is willing to do whatever you want to do, whether they want to do it or not.
Dogs can be friends with anybody. They are patient with very young kids who may not know how to be gentle, and they also are good with older people who may not be able to get around like they used to. It doesn’t matter what color they are, or what age, or what language they speak. Dogs don’t need to be able to understand everything you say to still be able to be a friend to you.
When we look at how a dog can be a friend, we can learn a lot! We can learn how to be a good friend, too.
