Dogs Help with Christmas

This morning I had a Strange But True story about how 85% of dog owners say their canine friends help them get through the holidays. According to BarkBox, a lot of the dog owners said they would take walks with their dog to get away from their family, and almost half of them said they were more excited to see the family dog than they were to see their relatives.

Of course, some of the dog owners also said that their dogs have destroyed a gift or decoration in the past, and 29% said that their dog has either knocked over the Christmas tree or peed on it.

The story made me think of my Golden Retriever Hutch. Tomorrow, (December 2nd) marks the third anniversary of his passing. We had to put him down at the age of 9 because he had cancer and was in rough shape. My Family always had pets growing up, both cats and dogs. And I loved all of them, but not like this. I don't know if it's because I spent so much time with Hutch or if it was because my wife and I adopted him together, but I loved this dog more than any pet I've ever had. He was the most human-like dog I've ever met. He would know what my wife was thinking by the look on her face. It's been 3 years and I still miss him and think about him many times a day. I still have him as my screensaver on my cell phone, and we have his ashes in a box in the dining room. Every time I walk in the side door I think of all the times he came to the door to greet me. He was the nicest, most well behaved dog I ever owned. He didn't need a leash, he would stay right by your side and he got along with everybody and every other animal.

The article also talked about owners buying gifts for their pets. We always got a few gifts for Hutchie. We had to take pictures as soon as we got them for him because sometimes, the stuffing wouldn't last more than an hour after he got a new toy.

You might have seen him in a few of my blogs in the past.

[via BarkBox]