[Beth]

I totally agree with your take. I have lost 30 lbs. this year in large part through the exercise and motivation of caring for our pup. He has saved my life almost quite literally. I was in a very dark time and caring for him and walking with him has saved me. He is my life saver, but shhh… don’t tell him that or it will go to his head.

[Logan C.]

That is a truly beautiful thing, and I’m so happy for you. Dogs do so much for us without wanting anything in return. I can relate because I felt emotionally lost before I got involved with the dog lifestyle. It felt like a void that I couldn’t fill, but training and caring for my dogs has made me more happy than I have ever been at any other point in my life.

[Riggan]

Great question! Lance has been a great influence on all three members of our household. Pushing us to get out hiking is the biggest physical aspect. He gets a bit squirrelly if he doesn’t get his exercise! Here is an excerpt from a submission I made trying to get a grant for the shelter we adopted him from (sadly, we were not in the finalists):

Lance came home with us 6 months ago, and now it is hard to imagine life without him. Each day we see him change and grow, and he has changed us as well. Every morning, he reminds my husband to be open to the joy that can be found in small things. He has pushed me to find ways to help him through his fears, making me a better trainer and person in the process. He is helping Sandra find love and laughter again after a difficult few years. We are amazed at his resilience. In spite of all he has been through, he trusts us. He can face his fears as long as we are by his side. He actually loves adventure and new places! He is a goofy clown as well as a loyal guardian. I have worked with many dogs over the years, but there is something special about this boy. His eyes spoke to us, and they did not lie. When it comes down to it, I’m not sure whether we rescued him or he is rescuing us. Maybe it’s a little of both, and that is how it should be.

[Logan C.]

Wow! That is absolutely incredible

[Jim]

My Malinois saved me. Now retired, I spent over 20 years in front of a computer — reports, databases, spreadsheets. A number of my colleagues died soon after retirement — I’m assuming from the stress and being strapped to a desk chair. It seemed I was headed down the same path until one day my wife decides we need a dog and with no research chooses a Malinois. Well, I haven’t stopped moving since that day. Thanks to this dog I walk 3 to 4 miles each day — and that’s only to take the edge off her energy. The rest is play ball, training and just being a Malinois. Other than my wife, the dog is the best thing that ever happened to me.

[oldSAP-Charlie]

now i wake up everyday at 5am to feed my dogs and go on a walk for 15 minutes after their meal. when i put my malinois on the treadmill after the walk i can do some yoga stretching while waiting for him to finish.
at work, since i bring him with me, i am now forced to get up, play, train with him 2-3 times a day, aside from going out with him to do his business outside the office.
after work, when we go home, i feed the dogs again and go out for another 15 min walk.
the dogs made me more disciplined.

[Susanna]

Definitely true! My husband and I had a dog that I had adopted in high school and we definitely didn’t take into account how much she improved our lives. When Sam passed away at the end of 2019 we could barely comprehend getting another dog. We spent about 10 months without and then we finally decided we were ready for a new dog. I had gained weight (thanks pandemic and making excuses for not exercising) and just generally felt like the house was empty. We had everything could possibly need (food, water, housing, etc.) but there was something missing. When we adopted our Malinois Lily we had to start walking 3-4 miles a day, doing training sessions with her, and playing with her to meet her needs. I started to lose some of the weight I had gained but more importantly, I just generally felt better with more motivation. It was nice to have a bigger motivation than ‘I should just do it because it’s good for me’. She makes us happy and we love doing things that help keep her happy too.

[Debbie]

Before I adopted Keller Mae 10 months ago, I could no longer have my Newf, Sophie with me where my living area is (living with relatives) due to her declining mobility from age 12 through 13 I put a stop to her using the stairs after a couple traumatic experiences. That was really hard when she had to stay upstairs. Keller, being an Aussie, hardly lets me out of her sight. It’s great having her with me downstairs. I’ve been able to have her with me on my walks where as Sophie had not been able to keep up or do hills in her recent times. So I can walk/hike more again with a dog by my side. Being pretty attuned with animals in general, Keller is a welcome addition to my life with her deafness, panic attacks and other little quirks.When Sophie’s health was failing I stated that I wasn’t getting another dog…. That lasted all of 1 week before I said I had to get another and was actively looking. It was a long 5 weeks before I got Keller into my life. It’s really good to have a new animal in my life.

[Lisa]

My dogs have made me a better person. They teach me to implement structure to my day, help me wake up early and make me smile. They are the best companions when you need to get up and go, and sit down and relax. Training and learning with my dog is extremely rewarding. I thrive on completing tasks together and learning how to help my dog in a human way find success. I’ve figured out dogs work well via physical communication layered with verbal cues (and learn through lots of reps) I love the binary language Robert teaches, it makes complete sense to pair words with action and markers so the dog can understand us. Love being able to communciate with my dog!!! He makes my heart whole

[Tommy]

In my case dog’s make my life possible.

After 3 hartatac, asthma, and many blood clots in my legs and lungs I need the help of my dogs to live like I do.

Whiteout my Alaskan huskys living off grid in the mountains or going on hiking trips for 2/3 weeks would not be possible

And cowering the distance me and my team do in the winter i could just dream of doing on foot or ski .

I consider my dog’s to be my employee, most trusted coworkers, my best friends and my closest family all in one.

How have my dog’s impacted me?? Maybe my dog’s make me whom I am

[William]

Our previous dog Flo died in March. My wife had taken over most of Flo’s care and I had become a total couch potato, rarely getting out of my recliner. On a whim we saw Cindy up for adoption at Atlanta Humane Society and decided to go for a meeting. We wound up taking her home – which is where things got interesting. Cindy had so many behavior issues that we decided to cancel a planned 3 week trip to the western states in June and July. This wasn’t a happy situation at first, but looking back we can see that it saved us from being in miserable heat, possible wildfires and possible exposure to Covid.

The next surprise benefit came when my wife was unable to control Cindy when Cindy had panic attacks on the street. Now I’m up and out of the house 5-6 times a day doing street walks (still a big problem) and play walks in the backyard plus obedience training in the house.

The next goal is to get Cindy’s anxiety down to a level where my wife can do the long walks she loved to do with Flo.