Why Puppies Could Save the World

What is it about baby animals that girls, myself included, just die over? Is it maybe the same part of our brain that makes us squeal over babies and their chubby cheeks and tiny fingers? Like a maternal instinct, but peternal. (eh, eh, get it!? get it!? I’m not above pity laughs, obviously.) But really, somewhere in our maternal instinct might be a weakness for all things tiny and cute and in need of our nurture and love. None of this is scientifically founded on evidence, but whatever it is, it seems to be universal. In general, girls, (women, though I hardly think of myself as a “woman”, even if I AM 25 years old) seem to have a sweet spot for little baby animals, especially puppies.

Mr. Watson is a cuddle bug!

Puppies are the greatest thing in the world. Don't get me wrong, other baby animals are adorable and sweet and all sorts of cuteness. But a puppy? They just make everything better... they just make you smile!
 

Jake & Maggie

And they love you in return. In fact, they love us just as (or maybe even more than) we love them, because they love unconditionally. Dogs are the only animals that consider us part of their "pack";  we are actually one of them. They love us as one of their own, without judgments or expectations. 

Not to mention that you can dress them up for Halloween!

Maggie as the cutest witch ever!

Tucker as a Dinosaur...

A brooding dinosaur...

Okay, mostly those pictures were because I just wanted to show off how stinking cute they are!! In general, puppies make me really emotional. They are extremely cute, extremely small, and full of love. It makes me think of the scene from New Girl where Jess is interviewing for the adult teaching position and her interviewer shows her a picture of her puppy sitting in a cup and she completely breaks down. Through her sobbing tears she says "puppy...in...a....cup....". It's one of my favorite moments of the series. Mostly because this is me. I feel like this is a pretty normal response though... RIGHT!? I'm not sure what it is, but puppies just make me really emotional.

Sorry for the poor quality of the video, but it was the only one and it had to be one here.  

Don't even get me started on those stupid SPCA commercials with "Arms of the Angels" playing the background...I weep every time. In fact, I'm getting teary just thinking about it, which is why I can't go into that. I know you know what I'm talking about.


But honestly, how could you be sad holding a puppy?! There's no way. Because they just LOVE you. They look at you and don't see any of your flaws, they'll never betray you, and they will always protect you. I have miniature dachshunds and nothing makes me feel better after a horrible day than to come home and cuddle with them. I can't prove why, they just do.



Countless studies have been done that show a correlation between dogs and human happiness, some even show an improvement in physical health (lowered blood pressure, reduced stress hormones, the release of feel-good chemicals in your brain) and mental health (less depression, relief of tension, and a proven mood booster) . I'm a Psych major and in one of my classes, my Professor was teaching us about this same idea; she has her PhD in Clinical Psychology and wrote her dissertation on the affects that animals have on their human owners. We learned about lots of studies that showed a relationship between better health in people that owned pets, and some studies that even showed temporary health benefits of playing with dogs for a short period of time.


The idea is that dogs provide love, companionship, activity and social interaction. They also draw on our "touch" sensation. As human beings, we need to touch and be touched, it's a way that we comfort, sooth, establish intimacy (hugs people!) and communicate how we feel. Think of a mother rubbing the back of her sick child as they try to fall asleep or rubbing the arm of your best friend who's having a tough day or hugging your loved ones when you're happy to see them. "Touch" is a very important sensation for us. Dogs provide the same thing; studies show that you feel better when petting your dog or cat because it's soothing, and that small action can also lower your heart rate too!


 There are many great organizations that have taken these ideas and put them into action. Many charities and companies have been created that bring dogs to cancer patients to boost their mood. These "animal-assistant therapy programs" have been popping up all over. I read an article published on the Northwestern University's Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center's website about the Canine Therapy Corps in Chicago and almost cried. And then I watched the video...and actually cried. This organization brings in golden retrievers to the oncology floor of the hospital to visit with the patients.

Watching those pups bring so much joy to the cancer patients is truly moving, you can't help but smile as you watch. Just a few minutes with the dogs brighten their day and it's something they have to look forward to throughout the week. And it's not just the patients; it makes the staff happy too! And that's the main point... dogs make you happy. You can throw data and evidence of a thousand different studies around but none of that compares to experiencing it for yourself.



With all the unhappiness in the world right now, I think this is exactly what we need. This may sound strange, but on days that I'm having a really tough day and I'm not at home with my dogs, I Google pictures of puppies and it makes me feel better. I don't even have to see them in real life; a picture is all it takes to put a smile on my face. Because puppies are the best. They are real superheroes, whose entire life is focused on making us happy and showing us their love. Puppies really could save the world, one happy person at a time.
 

*Bucket List*

It’s no secret that I like lists. I can’t help it, I just love them. There is something so rewarding about crossing things off a list after I’ve completed them that makes my heart sing like Aretha Franklin. I’ll be honest, sometimes if I’ve started a list late and have already completed a couple things prior to said list, I will still put them on there, just to cross them off. I feel like I deserve that pat on the back, ya know? Anyways, I have lists for everything…favorite songs, bands, movies, books, characters, fictional couples, favorite words, etc. Honestly, the lists go on and on. 

But something I’ve always had since I was a young teenager were “bucket lists”, especially travel lists. Since I was little girl, all I’ve ever wanted to do was travel and see the world, experience all the different cultures and take as many pictures as possible. I’ve always loved nature and architecture, so naturally they’re my favorite thing to photograph. I’m a dreamer. I always have been. So making lists of what I wanted out of life came naturally. They’ve changed over the years, not entirely, but they have adjusted as I’ve grown up or as interests have changed. But statistically speaking, we’re more likely to reach our goals if we A) write them down and B) tell someone else. So I guess I’m doing both. They used to be things I kept locked away in the trunk in my closet. But I guess this comes with the territory, after all, this ‘blog’ is something that was on a bucket list, so it only seems natural! 

[This will only be snippets because I definitely have the longest bucket lists ever.]

Things I want to DO:

1.      Graduate with my BA in Psychology

2.      Graduate w/ honors… Magna Cum Laude and get into Psi Chi (Psychology) Honor Society

3.      Study abroad in England for a year

4.      Get into Grad School (MA/PHD)

5.      Learn to play the piano

6.      Finish writing a novel

7.      Publish a book/short story

8.      Visit every state in the US

9.      See a musical on Broadway in NY

10.  Surf in Hawaii

11.  Backpacking trip…somewhere  

Things I want to SEE:

1.      Tour England and see Chelsea play @ home (Stamford Bridge).

2.      Visit Paris in the fall

3.      Go to a World Cup game, England & USA

4.      Drive Hwy 1 down the entire Coast

5.      Across Country Road trip from here to New York

6.      Eat my way through Italy

7.      Go to Spain, see a Barcelona vs. Real Madrid game in Barcelona

8.      US History tour in DC and surrounding area

9.      Go to every Disneyland/World

10.  New Years Eve in Times Square

11.  Visit Czech Republic, Russia, and Croatia

12.  Go to North Shore’s surfing competition Pipe Master’s (Hawaii)

13.  Go on an African Safari

14.  Visit New Zealand

Learning to Fly...A Tom Petty Epiphany of Sorts

I’m learning to fly, but I ain’t got wings. Coming down is the hardest thing. Tom Petty sings from my iPod that’s plugged into the stereo of my car as I make my way home. I’m exhausted. Not just because I’ve been sick lately, but just utterly exhausted…from life. It can really take its toll on you. Life that is, not Tom Petty. Tom Petty’s voice is calming and makes you feel like you’re laying on the beach under a warm spring sun. I’ve always been a classic rock fan, ever since I was a kid. I think that comes from all the road trips for soccer tournaments I went on with my Dad every year until I graduated high school. Lots and lots of driving…and he only listened to classic rock. It’s soothing to me now. Like a warm blanket or a square of dark chocolate and a Diet Coke.

I’m a pretty self-aware person and usually extremely motivated. At the current moment, I know what I want out of life. I have goals, I have a plan to get me there, and I have the determination to make them happen. But life hardly ever follows our plans; things shift and unexpected circumstances that arise could change the plan or you…or more likely, both. I’ve been there before. It’s an unfortunate familiar scene. A moments breath is sometimes as long as it takes for things to change entirely. The world gets flipped upside down and somehow you’re still right-side up, wondering how or when or what happened. A moment’s notice is all there is. Why does it always seem like the things that impact you the most are somehow comprised of the smallest moments?

It makes me think of a line John Steinbeck wrote in Of Mice and Men; “As happens sometimes, a moment settled and hovered and remained for much more than a moment. And sound stopped and movement stopped for much, much more than a moment. And then the moment was gone.” Sometimes, it’s in these little moments that have the most impact, even if the full extent of which isn't realized until much later; a small pebble dropped into a large body of water still ripples over the expanse of the surface…it just moves at a slower pace.

Well the good ol' days may not return. Petty is singing to me again. Brows furrowed, he’s got me thinking. Yes, those good ol’ days may not return, in fact, they can’t. And it’s taken me a long time to figure out that maybe that’s okay. Maybe we’re not meant to go back. The important thing now is moving forward. Progression. And you know what, moving on feels really good, moving on is freeing and empowering. But it's also probably the hardest thing in the world to do. And you know what? Your heart never listens to your mind. Why the heck is that!?

Well some say life will beat you down, break your heart, steal your crown. You see, he gets it. There’s where I am right now. Exhausted. We’ve all been there. We’ve all been beaten up, heartbroken, dreams shattered, things taken from us. Yes, I’m certain everyone felt that at one point. Sometimes the beating you take from life feels incessant, like you’re caught under violent crashing waves and the moment you get to the surface to take a breath, you see another one coming. Sometimes, the only thing you can do is continue to fight to the top, and follow the bubbles when you don’t know which way is up.

“I'm learning to fly, around the clouds. But what goes up must come down”  he sings, reassuring me. Okay, okay Tom, I get it. It’s poignant when you know he’s not just talking about gravity. Going after our goals, what we want out of life, is messy. We can have all the plans in the world, but the majority of life doesn’t follow a set of rules. Not that I’m suggesting we throw caution to the wind, but that we realize that things aren’t always going to go the way we think they will. Part of life is going through trials and falling (hard), because if we didn’t, would we ever know how to pick ourselves up? Would we appreciate the successes less if we didn’t have to fail so much before we got there?

I’m learning to fly. As cliché as that might sound, I am. I’m no pro yet. I ain’t got wings, but I’m working on it. Sometimes it’s hard just to even believe in yourself enough to jump off the ground, let alone leap off a cliff. But comfort lies not in knowing that there’s a possibility of failure, but that when we reach that success, when we flap our wings fast enough not to crash and burn but to soar, that moment of pure undulated triumph will be worth it. And it will be.

Reference: Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Learning to Fly.