My new Lab puppy!

Frexos

Dogs have been around man for thousands of years. Scientific data are not yet conclusive as to when exactly dogs were domesticated, but it seems that they accompanied the hunter-man before he turned into an agriculturist. It is also not definitively known, what the exact genetical origins of dogs are. Although the notion that they descent from wolves is widely popular, evidence shows that they most possibly stem from a wolf-like canine that is long extinct.

The endless years of co-existence with mankind have endowed dogs with qualities that no other animal manifests. Experts have experimentally proven that although chimpanzees bear a huge genetical resemblance with men, they cannot understand them as well and they cannot follow their orders as easily as  dogs. Dogs complete humans, they fit in their lives effortlessly, they know how to adapt and behave around them and most of all they know how to give; what they mostly give, without apprehension and without ulterior motive is love. Huge, endless, deep, ever-lasting love. That is the exact reason why humans, otherwise very inhumane, cruel and self-oriented, can open up to dogs and give back emotions. That kind of unconditional dog-love can touch stone-cold hearts, can bring warmth into lost souls and can cause a smile to be born on stiff, unmoved lips.

The puppy you see in this photo is Frexos - an ancient Greek name - , my new male lab! I've never had a dog before and this new experience is utterly overwhelming! My emotions are cataclysmic: joy, enthusiasm, love, fear, protectiveness, awkwardness, clumsiness and most of all, the peculiar feeling of getting to know myself all over again and discovering things in me that I didn't know existed. It's unbelievable how much you can care about a dog and how concerned you can be about his/her health. Something that I keep asking myself and which I realize is a thought shared by many dog-owners is how I am going to raise a kid without going crazy if I act like that with a dog. On the other hand I think to myself that dogs, especially puppies, are totally innocent and unprotected and face more difficult conditions during their lives; for example, no one's gonna take them in their bed at night or do the things for them, which we do for a baby (well there are exceptions to that), because "a dog is a just dog and not human".

My conclusion so far is that more people should have dogs, because they can benefit immensely from them. Psychological promblems can be tackled with, children can use up that endless energy that can either get them into serious trouble or make them lose themselves in the luring yet dangerous World Wide Web. People with weight problems can correct their eating habits more easily because playing with the dog gets the mind off delicious foods and is a super-healthy exercise. And most of all, receiving this huge love and laughing your heart out is the best thing you can experience with a dog.  So, do get dogs if you wish all these benefits for yourselves!