5 Reasons Why Being A Dog Lover (and working with dogs) Is Good For You.

1) I can now handle copious amounts of vomit, diarrhea, parasites, and bloody injuries. (Especially bloody injuries on me. Hmm, this may just be in the flyball category.)

2) I can handle high stress situations. Like when two dogs meet in the middle of an area, one suddenly freaks out, and you have to stop everything and handle the two dogs trying to kill each other. Thank you, dogs. You have taught me how to keep my cool and act in a way that logically makes sense instead of well... panicking.

3) I've learned patience. I've learned to just Suck. It. Up. And keep trying. Having my dog has taught me that no matter what, you don't give up. And I've found that the HARD problems in the past, when finally resolved, have had the biggest pay offs. Completely worth it.

4) I always remember one thing when I'm stressing: Live in the present. Why? Because that's how I get through some of the worst situations life has thrown at me. How'd I learn it? My dog. My dog always lives in the present. Focus on the now, and you will perform and think so much more clearly. It keeps you grounded and from going off the deep end.

5) You can meet so many amazing friends through dogs. My best friends both have dogs that go with us everywhere. My hiking group all have dogs. All of the people I enjoy working with have dogs. Okay, so we're all REALLY weird. But that just means we're perfect for each other...right?