Humans sure are amazin' critters. But for all of that they need us too! They need dogs for all their lovin' they can't get anywhere else. It makes me downright sad to think how many humans are runnin' around out there thinkin' nobody loves them when all they need is an ol' hound dog. Well, guess I should change that to cover all dogs, 'cause there are some pretty nice dogs that aren't hound dogs.

Anyhow, I was readin' some material at the vet's the other day while I was waitin' for my appointment, and that there brochure said they are doing research that proves dogs are good for people because they reduce human's level of anxiety. Dogs have known that humans needed us for thousands of years. That's why we teamed up in the first place. Have you ever come home depressed, tense or exhausted after a long, hard, hot day? Maybe you got stuck in traffic or the boss turned you down for a promotion or your friend got mad at you for not calling. Who was there when you came home, all happy to see you? Your dog of course. We don't care how much money you make or what religion you are or what color you are, or if you are beautiful or not. You can count on us to be there for you.

For you folks with high blood pressure, one study showed that the simple act of petting your dog or cat consistently lowered blood pressure. So get to pettin'.

That started me thinking. My humans sure love it when I take them for walks and do my funny routine. They start laughing and being funny too. Then other people who are out walkin' see us laughing and having a good time, so they come over and ask about me, and pretty soon everybody's talking like they've known each other for a hundred years. They pat me on the head which makes me happy and so I try harder to make them happy. If I like a pat on the head, don't you suppose humans like it too?

Your friend,
Cecil