Most American dogs are now regarded as members of the human families with which they live. For more than two-thirds of U.S. dog owners, that’s currently the case.
Dog Family members have experienced the extraordinary bonds which can form between a dog and a human, and between one dog and another. They’ve felt the gut-wrenching grief which can enfold both humans and dogs when those bonds are severed.
They’ve observed dogs serving humans as exemplars of radical and unbounded love, instant and unconditional forgiveness, and pure, uninhibited love. They’ve known dogs as heroes and helpers and healers… from the battlefield, to the crime scene, to the hospital room. And they’ve known dogs, simply, as friends and companions and playmates.
They’ve noted the richness of color with which a dog’s personality can flower. Some have discerned the iron-willed sense of mission which can develop within a dog’s character.
And a few may have even glimpsed further, almost unfathomable, possibilities of dog and human connection, which words and logic would be challenged to define or to constrain.
This blog will celebrate, encourage, and nurture the extraordinary landscape of dog and human relationships, as seen through the experiences, quandaries, and insights of our own Dog Family.
Gene Maddox