From my personal standpoint, I can’t imagine our lives without a dog! Our dog, Lexi was born in January 2020 and 6 weeks later in good fortune, for Lexi and both of us, was picked to live with us and designated by a medical professional to be my wife Barbi’s emotional support dog. Persistent health problems limited her social and outside activities made my wife an individual needing the right dog, to be an emotional support dog. Lexi, our 3 year old female Doberman pincher is the quintessential emotional support dog! We have had Rottweilers, Pointers, Shelties and other Doberman dogs, but have never had a dog as adoptable and loveable of all humans as Lexi; our prodigy has proven to be!
The definition is more than appropriate (emotional support) as she has shown bi-lateral emotional support, give and take, for my wife, myself and literally hundreds of people she has met and never hesitates to show her calm, loving personal attention to all those that invite it! We offer the following regarding canine behavior and vis a vis, human behavior!
- A dog will provide as much love as you constantly show them in return!
- A smart dog will let you know when it needs to take care of daily bodily functions
- A dog will know what is off limits within your home as far as access, both rooms and furniture; the earlier in their life this is established, the better (we choose to open our home and all our furniture as accessible to our dog!}
- Dogs need exercise and an active dog will challenge you and the walks, playing and fun will benefit the owner as well as the dog! Other owners may disagree with this choice!
- Lexi, as an emotional support dog, goes everywhere with Barbi and from her very first excursion we allowed her to accept friendly invites from others, with no fears and literally has been treated with overwhelming admiration and even love from all interested parties! If fear of dogs is noticed by an on looker, she is taken in another direction, respect of the environment and others is important
- Cleanliness of your dog matters! We use baby moisturized wipes to clean our girl when she comes in from a bathroom visit and she waits to have that action take place! Again it started at her very first day in our home and literally is a way of life!
- Eating habits are hard to imagine from one dog to another. The difference in appetite and nutrition is important. In our case we supplement the dry dog food with small pieces of roasted chicken as nothing else worked! We recognize that like us, dogs have differences in taste and it must be accommodated!
- Quality is the by word for bedding, toys etc. After all our pets deserve a quality place to rest, again making the comparison to human needs likewise pet needs!
- Toys must not (depending on the breed!) be toys that have pieces that could break off and be ingested! Rawhide and other toys that encourage chewing, good for the pet’s teeth are excellent choices and save big $ to have teeth professionally cleaned at the vet.
- It is worth mentioning that a loving dog will become the guardian and insure safety to you and your home. Instinctively dogs will issue a barked warning when a person or even a vehicle is approaching you and your home. In our sparsely housed environment, this is an invaluable trait!
- I cannot overstate the importance of finding a reliable vet with high public marks and establishing a relationship with the vet, moreover one that shows (staff) a caring loving attitude towards your cherished pet!
In American there are 127 million homes, 54 million of them, are a home for a dog; if you are one of the 73 million without a dog and are considering making the move, read up on the different breeds and their disposition, habits etc. along with the size of the full grown breed. The right choice unequivocally will bring years of satisfaction and emotional support to you and your household! Always remember, the love you will constantly show for your dog will be returned manifold times over!
