I Love My Dog

My dog is not a pet. He is a valued member of the family. He is our doorbell, sensing those approaching our home. He is our protector, guarding us from vagrant dogs walking by with their owners. He is the Explorer, as we walk he shows the way, marking where we've been.
He is our therapist. Being greeted with puppy kisses and hugs when you get home can turn around even the worst day. There is nothing like a cuddle and a belly rub to let you know that you matter to at least one creature on the planet.
He is the family alarm clock. Every morning he jumps on our son's bed, kisses him and waits patiently to get a belly rub. He is up early every morning to do his business so there's no sleeping in for us. But that's ok, because it's the price you pay for unconditional love.
He served as my son's voice. Just five short years ago, Little Man had no functional language. He communicated mostly through echoalia, which is repeating words and phrases. It's pretty ingenious, but maddening at the same time. I had to watch the leap pad DVDs over and over to figure out what he meant or wanted. There's a scene in math circus where they are getting ice cream, and one of the characters says "needs salt". That was my son's phrase to tell me he was hungry. There are a lot of other examples of using movie and tv dialogue to communicate. Then one day, our son started having conversations with our dog. It was a bridge from the echoalia to conversing normally. He would talk to the puppy and then have the puppy speak to us.
It's hard to believe that we were once unable to talk with each other, but our dog made that happen.
He is our vacuum cleaner. I don't have to worry about crumbs or food on the floor because he takes care of that. He would even serve as dishwasher if I let him. He also serves as an electric blanket, since he sleeps with us and generates a lot of body heat.
He doesn't get tied up outside. He tolerated being ridden like a horse when little man was younger. He puts up with the costumes I dress him up in, and tolerates some of my crazy ideas. He's my baby doll and my cuddle bug. He is a free range backyard dog who has been well trained. He most certainly would not be left outside in bad weather and I would never treat him like luggage.
He's a valued member of my family and I love my dog.