I am a self confessed animal lover. While not a fan of having cats, they are also cool, but first and foremost I have and love dogs.
I grew up with dogs, and they very much lived as part of the family. Thus when I got married and moved to the suburbs I got myself a dog. My wonderful labrador has been such an amazing companion, and while he is now nearing 14 and the legs are sore and stiff, he still loves nothing more than a little swim and a ball chuck or two, albeit straight at his feet on account of running being difficult.
As a companion he is amazing. Clever, attentive and loyal to a fault. This dog has such a love for all animals. When I lived in Cape Town, we had a house very close to the ocean and I used to walk him on the beach in the morning. One time he went swimming, as he always does and a seal popped up next to him. 20 minutes of play ensued and when he got tired, the seal actually followed him onto the beach and they continued playing. Wish I had a camera on me. It was amazing.
My brother took him camping a couple of years later, and he slept just outside their tent, safely secured being a horse farm. Somehow he got out, and when the woke they panicked and worried about him and the horses started looking for him, just to find him running up and down next to a beautiful stallion. The two have become friends obviously. And they were sharing in the joy of running for fun.
My family have a cattle farm, and we took him there when we moved to Gauteng. There was a massive Brahman bull on the farm. We were very worried about trouble for our dog. Soon he got out and we saw him sauntering up to the bull. The stood face to face sniffing each others noses and then he sat down next to the bull, looking at the world around him while the bull grazed. This went on for more than 1/2 hour.
When ever I work in the garden or fix things in the garden he would shadow me, intently looking at what I am doing. One would be forgiven thinking he is learning what to do, or even willing to help and give advice.
An amazing animal, and a loving friend.