When I am wrong, he is delighted to forgive. When I am angry, he clowns to make me smile. When I am happy, he is joy unbounded. When I am a fool, he ignores it. When I succeed, he brags. Without him, I am only another person. With him, I am all-powerful. He is loyalty itself.
He has taught me the meaning of devotion. With him, I know a secret comfort and a private peace. He has brought me understanding where before I was ignorant.
His head on my knee can heal my human hurts. His presence by my side is protection against my fears of dark and unknown things. He has promised to wait for me... whenever... wherever in case I need him. And I expect I will as I always have.
He is just my dog.
-Gene Hill, Tears and Laughter
I've had Jack for one year now, and I can't imagine how I got along without him. The first puppy I've had while being old enough to really appreciate owning a dog. Though sometimes I think he owns me more than the other way around, with how he always gets his way and won't let anyone give me hugs.
He's my buddy, my playmate, my dog. Just Jack. Sometimes Puppy or Pumpkin or Puffin, sometimes 'Hey there, Stupid!' or 'Hello, Handsome!' If I didn't have to be careful not to step on a big Labrador everytime I got out of bed, I think I'd feel a lot more how dark and cold nights can be.
I took my sweatshirt off five minutes ago and he's already asleep on top of it. We had to take care of a baby bird for three weeks (wherein my dad took off work early TWICE because he was worried about it) because the dog bred for bird hunting wanted to play with it rather than kill it. He's really dense, but he's so funny and he tries so hard to be good.
And he is, really. He's nice and smart, just needs to mature a bit to make it more apparent. Jack's a good dog. One of those dogs that would be good under any circumstances, with any family.
Money can't buy happiness, but it can buy puppies!
... Or you can get them off Craigslist for free.