"Studies show that when petting a dog, a hormone called oxytocin kicks into high gear. Oxytocin, which is sometimes dubbed "the cuddle hormone," helps reduce blood pressure and decreases levels of cortisol, a hormone related to stress and anxiety." And I truely believe this.
Recently I posted on my FB how I could sit and pet Gabriel for hours and I meant that. Just the thought of him makes me smile :o) I think that is because he doesn't expect anything from me ... except love and of course food and water and the occasional marrow bone :o) I wake up in the morning and when I walk out into the kitchen there he is with his tail wagging waiting for me .... even if he is not all the way "awake" when I go out there he will perk up as soon as he sees me or hears my voice :o) When I come home from work I am all he sees - no matter who else is there he keeps his eyes on me and I love that. He knows I am a pushover when it comes to him. I only hope he knows how happy he makes me :o)
When Brittany was alive I used to love to just sit and pet her - she loved it too - she would just lay there and take it all in. When she died I was heartbroken. I know it will sound crazy but I actually "ached" for her :o( I kept thinking if I could only pet her one more time :o( It took me a long time to be able to think of her and not cry ..... a few months after she died I would still breakdown but I would try to do it secretly because I figured by that time people would think I was crazy that I was still crying over a dog :o( I remember one time someone telling me to get over it :o( But I couldn't ... I am a dog lover through and through and my dog is not "just a dog" my dogs are a part of my family .... and you know what ... I like that about me ... I like that I have such compassion for animals (especially dogs) ... I alway remember a friend of mine telling me that when she dies she hopes to come back as my dog :o) That to me is a very nice compliment. I also love that I can see that same trait in both of my girls and recently my sister told me that she sees it in my nephew and he must get that from me :o)
I don't push my dog aside as busy as I am I always made time for Brittany and now Gabriel. I don't look at them as a "bother" and you know what maybe I can't go "away" on a whim now but I don't care because the amount of times I would do that as opposed to the amount of love I get from my dog cannot be compared. I don't care that there are tumbleweeds of fur rolling around the floor .... that is what vacuum cleaners are for :o) When Brittany got so old and frail I would bathe her at least 2-3 times a week (imagine me lifting a 170 lbs dog into the bathtub LOL) ... I didn't care that my entire bathroom was full of suds and water and just an outright mess when we were done I was just happy that I made her feel better ... because who doesn't feel better after a nice bath?
So really it's simple ... I love dogs :o) If I could ... I would fill my house with them :o)
