“Whoever said diamonds are a girl’s best friend never owned a dog.”*

When I was little I wanted a pet rabbit. Instead my parents got me a few goldfish…one of which my dad stepped on. The sight of his/her fishy guts on our living room floor traumatized me for life. R.I.P Buggy.  Yes, I named it Buggy the fish.

My next stop into pet ownership was brief. I bought two hermit crabs with the coolest painted shells – Shrimp and Biggie. Hermit crabs are not cuddly at all and I realized they actually kind of creeped me out.

Fast forward to September 2014 I’m in Columbia for a football game (Go Gamecocks) and my mom let’s me know she’s in town as well. I go to say hello and am greeted by the cutest little pup. Yup, my mom ambushed surprised me with a dog. That’s how I became a fur mama.

On Tuesday, my fur baby, Sgt. Pepper, turned two. So in honor of my little muffin’s birthday I’m sharing 10 reasons dogs are a girl’s best friend.

10 Reasons Dogs Are a Girl’s Best Friend

1. Cuddling is always on the table. Usually there is no persuasion necessary, but a little treat can convince Sgt. Pepper to come cuddle on the couch with me for the duration of whatever movie or bingewatch session I’m completing.  And not only are they willing to cuddle with you…
2. The are always down to nap with you. Fur mamas (or daddies), raise your hands if your dog has fallen asleep right on top of you and you try not to move because you don’t want to disturb their little sweet puppy dreams. Besides that, dogs are always down for a nap- some can sleep up to 18 hours a day. What a fantastic life!
3. They are always so excited to see you. Sgt. Pepper gets so unbelievably excited every time I walk through the front door. I could have been gone for 60 seconds to grab that one grocery bag that I couldn’t manage to bring in the first trip and you would have thought I had left for hours. His joy can make me forget a miserable day at work or at least temporarily make it seem like it wasn’t a big deal.
4. They are your ride or die. As soon as I grab the leash, Sgt. Pepper is ready to go. Whether or it’s a quick drive to run an errand or a 4.5 hour road trip to Charleston, he’s happy to go wherever I’m going.
5. They won’t bawk at your nicknames. I don’t have pet names for most people. You’ll get a boo or boo boo from me, but that’s about it. Because of my fur baby I finally have a use for all these nicknames I’ve been holding on to: Little monkey, little monster, boo boo, love bug, munch munch, puppy baby…
6. Unconditional love. Dogs hand out pure unconditional love and ask absolutely nothing in return – although food and water are a part of the deal. They won’t hold a grudge against you. I’ve accidentally kicked Sgt. Pepper off of the bed and he just snuggled up next to my face as if nothing happened. Boyfriends and girlfriends will go, but your dog will always happily be by your side. 
   
7. Built in vacuum. You just can’t stay mad when they make a mess and perhaps it’s because they will help you clean up. When I mean help, it’s more of a mad scavenge for any morsel of meal that you may drop, but still it’s helpful.
8. Built in dinner date. Ok, albeit, your dog just wants a bite of your food, but you will never ever have to eat alone again. Sgt. Pepper will stare at me (sometimes until he falls asleep), or curl up on my feet while I dine. I’ve realized I will never eat alone whenever he’s around. P.S. I’ve got a super simple recipe for some homemade doggie treats you can throw your fur baby so they’ll leave your plate alone.
9. Deals with your mood swings. I’m a fairly happy person, but then I’ll watch three episodes of Parenthood or a Grey’s Anatomy season finale and fall into an emotional black hole (Damn you, Shonda). Sgt. Pepper will come and put his head on my lap and get extra snuggly. The same goes for when I’m sick. He just knows and loves on me just the required amount. Dogs can sense these things and will adjust their behavior accordingly.

10.  They will never cease to amuse you. My dogs makes even the most mundane chores interesting. Sgt. Pepper has an affinity to roll around in my piles of dirty laundry. He also is obsessed with my slippers (because none of his toys is good enough for him apparently). He sometimes plays with his food and it’s hilarious. And who doesn’t love a good dog chases his tail session? Cat owners probably, but cat people are a topic for another day.

In case you were wondering Sgt. Pepper enjoyed a trip to Bruster’s for a “doggie sundae” for his special day and demolished it. He wasn’t a fan of the bone though.

*To be clear, I am still very open to diamonds.

Do you have a furry BFF? Share some stories and pictures with me!