I Want To Be More Like My Dog...

Yup. That's my New Year's resolution!

I know it sounds kinda weird.... but thats because it's not the normal boring stuff like go to the gym more, or eat less sweets, or get more sleep, or stop killing the neighbors pigs. (If you're one of the people who makes a New Year's resolution like that.... is that really the best you can do? I mean, do those types of resolutions even last past a few weeks or a month or two if you're lucky? No. They don't. Stop kidding yourself. You're basically just going through  the 40 days of Lent if you do that. And that's why you should make a new and exciting one!)

So I'm gonna try to explain this the best I can. My dog's name is Dakota! Funny thing is, she is 3/4 black lab (one of the smartest breeds of dogs) and 1/4 hound (one of the not-so-smartest breeds of dogs).... she inherited the hounds intellectual ability. Real life examples of her intellectual ability include: Hiding behind me when a deer jumps out of the woods, barking at nothing, being afraid of anything you shake at her, smashing into walls because she likes to look behind herself when she runs, having no idea what fetch means, and having an irrational fear of stairs (which is called bathmophobia for anyone who wanted to know). Don't get me wrong.... I love her to death, but she definitely isn't the brightest bulb in the pack.

It took about 20 pictures (no joke) before I finally got one where she was looking. And yes, she is wearing a Redskins bandana. But she tried to eat it a few days later so we had to take it off. Such a smart dog:)

It's not her intellectual skills I admire, but it's her attitude about life. She's always so happy to see me, no matter what. Every time I walk in the doors she's all like "Ohmygosh! Ohmygosh! OhmyGOSH!!!!!! I'M SO EXCITED TO SEE YOU! AHHHHHH! yayayayayayayyayaya! I love being a dog!" Every. Time. Even if I'm only gone for an hour. The moment you walk though that door, she bombards you. There is no such thing as a personal bubble in her mind. She also likes to lick people.... like, a lot. It's like she wants to give you a bath or something. And normally her tail is wagging so ferociously that her whole body shakes and she looks like she's wiggling. A lot of people comment on this too.... they'll say stuff like, "Is your dog ok? She's shaking really bad" and I'll be like, "Oh yeah, thats normal. She's just really happy"

I know I can't be as extreme as her. Actually, I don't want to be as extreme as her. But I want to give it a try. I want to be happier about everything even if its the tiniest detail, and basically just be more optimistic. I think I'm already pretty optimistic, but it can't hurt to try a little harder:) And I feel like this will be a good resolution because it will last for the whole year.

And now a cheesy quote to sum it all up because I don't really know what else to write: "I think dogs are the most amazing creatures; They give unconditional love. For me, they are the role model for being alive." ~Gilda Radner