Pure Hearts:

I have been pondering writing a blog about the pureness of heart in dogs. I didn't think it could be expressed sufficiently to do dogs the justice they deserve. None the less, I will do my best to speak of the pure hearts of dogs. I do this from the point of view of having dog/s as complete family members. It is when they are part of the household as full family members that you can realize their full attributes. Not so much when they are tied or chained outdoors. 

During our many years of marriage we have had a total of 13 dogs. Each one has taught us progressively things about them as family members that has brought us to this point. What they have taught us along the way is each one makes me wish I knew that attribute much earlier in our way we interacted with our dogs.  

I am told that dogs understand between 150-200 words and their meanings. Since we talk to our dogs all the time I think they understand more. All dogs understand words like eat, go, squirrel,  walk, etc. I have taught our dogs their left and right, to look at a wall clock and tell time, and to count. They are far smarter and intuitive than most people would expect.

I have found that when a dog is trained to respect certain things like our food, chair, etc. they will respect those areas. They are very trustworthy. Their complete loyalty goes without any amplification from me. They may be the only thing on this earth that loves you more than you could possibly know. They will give their life for you. I have learned to trust them and their instincts, especially when it comes to other people.   

The virtues of dogs are just too many to count. Each time I think I have a good understanding of our dogs I am taught there are more. They love us unconditionally and I often wish I could with the depth they do. I tell our dogs very often that I love them but they know that from our interaction with each other. Dogs have many virtues and it is hard to include them all in one article. One thing I know is the more time we invest in them the more rewards we get from them in return. 

Our dogs know how important they are to us and they do all they can to please us. Our dogs are all rescue dogs and they fill our days and nights with loyalty, love and entertainment.

People frequently tell us how well behaved our dogs are but it is a product in the time we have invested in them.