What is a best friend? Someone who spends time with you, loves you unconditionally, someone who listens to you, and accepts you for who you are. Who can that great best friend be? One of God’s finest and most loyal creatures – the Dog.
How long can you count on your dog being there for you? A lot of it depends of the breed, which there are so, so many. We looked at the average life span of little dogs awhile back, so let’s take a look at big dogs.
The bigger a dog is, the shorter the estimated life span. And there are some massive dogs out there! A few of the big ones are the mastiff, with a life span of 10-12 years, and the Irish Wolfhound with an average from 6 to 8 years.
My Grandmother has a Rhodesian Ridgeback that just turned 13. The average life span is 9-12 years, so she’s living on “borrowed time.” Then there’s the Shetland Sheepdog with an average of 12-15 years, which is pretty good for a dog his size.
Dogs are so awesome, they love to play and are just fun to be around; you can dress them up, put sunglasses on them, take pictures of them. Besides companionship, many are used for special jobs like: Fighting crime alongside Police Officers, Protection of his or her family, Search and Rescue, and Herding Cattle.
Some breeds used for Search and Rescue include: Labrador and Golden Retrievers, Bloodhounds, Border Collies, Belgian Malinois, and German shepherds. These dogs have excellent abilities of smell. German Shepherds are also used as Police Dogs, each with a life expectancy of 10-12 years.
Not all dogs are purebreds. Mixed breeds, called mutts in day’s past, are just as wonderful. Just like purebreds they are all different shapes, sizes, and temperaments. And they’re just as special! (In fact, Snoozle is a mixed breed.)
Dogs always love, never betray, and never tell your secrets. They love unconditionally, they don’t judge you, they don’t care how you look, how smart you may be, how rich you are, none of that matters to your hairy best friend.
Never, never, never be mean or cruel to a dog, or cat or any other creature for that matter. A dog is so full of love it can make your whole world better, and you can make his/her world better. They have feelings, show emotions, lend comfort, and can be quite entertaining.
And note that DOG spelled backwards is GOD.
That’s all for now. Go out and enjoy your dog! (or cat, says Jax) That’s all for now, Marisal
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