Having a Dog = Changes

Lots of things have changed in my life since I got a dog. To be honest I had always wanted a dog of my own, and in one way or the other I had always planned for getting one sooner or later, but I think I never realized how many changes that would come with having a dog. I'm going to dedicate this post to some of the changes Beily has made in my life, and trust me, there has been quite a few.

• Planning ahead has never been my thing, and I have always been more of a spontaneous person. I did what I wanted to do, when I wanted to do it. And if. Being spontaneous is great to a certain point, but it is also good sometimes to stop and really think things through. Since Beily moved in with me I can't be as spontaneous as I used to be anymore, not when it comes to trips and staying out of the house all day long. If I want to do that now, it means I need to find someone who can take care of my dog for me. That usually isn't a problem, but it still forces me to stop and think twice, and also to slow down a little in my daily life. I am a restless person, and having a dog has helped me to overcome some of my restlessness and to enjoy the moment and the present more than before.
• Get out and moving. I am unfortunately a lazy person by nature, and I have never enjoyed any kind of physical activity besides walking. Walking is something I have always loved, but having a dog has forced me to do it frequently, rather than to just sit on my behind all day pretending to be doing something important. I take about 3 good walks with Beily every day, plus a few walks around the block or trips to the park next to my house, and if I don't - I feel awful. This has helped me to create a routine which has actually led me onto wanting to do more exercise..! It's funny how when you start doing one thing, it leads to you wanting to do more things. I now do Yoga every morning, which is a huge step for me.
• Read product labels. This might sound silly, but having a dog has made me more aware of what is in the products that I buy, both for her and for myself. Now, for example, I only buy plain yogurt with no added sugar OR sweeteners (before I would always choose the Light products) so that I can share some with my dog with a clear conscience, I buy natural peanut butter with no strange additives to use for her Kong and I eat more fish and veggies since I usually buy that for her anyway (for treats and such). Over all my food habits have improved from having a dog, and even though I started out reading mostly dog food labels (when searching for the right choice) - I now read the labels on almost everything that I buy, and I try to go for the cleaner/healthier options. I have become more aware.
• Becoming more independent. I guess you could see that two ways though, but let me explain my point here. I have always been the kind of person who thinks of others before myself, and who are pretty dependent on other people. Whatever they wanted to do worked for me. Having a dog has made me more relaxed in that aspect, and I no longer feel lost and forgotten if I don't go out with my friends one day, or if they would happen to go for coffee without me. I am now pretty happy to be at home too, quite honestly. My dog has helped me find balance where I take the will of others into consideration, but without losing track of what I myself might want. It is a pretty liberating feeling, quite frankly.

Those are some of the things that having a dog has changed for me, and I think they are all good things. At least for me. I knew there would be changes the day I decided to get a dog, but the changes that it has brought with it isn't necessarily the ones that I had predicted. It is funny to me how almost all my friends think of her as a burden, since I have to organize someone to look after her when I go out of town, since I sometimes have to go home from a social gathering just to feed her and other things like that, but what if those things aren't burdening to me? I am totally fine with all those small sacrifices or adjustments to my daily life, and I think it has done me lots of good. What are the changes you feel your dogs have brought into your lives? I am sure you have a ton of examples.