Six months ago, I found myself having no other option than to invite a new roommate into my home. This new roommate, which I was now to spend a significant portion of my life with, was a two month old Cane Corso(Italian mastiff).

He could have found a home elsewhere, but I could not have known for sure whether that home would have provided him with a good life. I did know that I could do that for him, so rather than worry whether he was being adequately looked after for the next 15 years, I decided to take him in.

Before that day when my home became his, I had little responsibility-- which was exactly how I liked it. Vito did not come alone, however. He brought with him the mass of responsibility that I had been--until then--actively avoiding.

No longer could I do what I want, whenever I please. I now had another living creature who depended on me for their happiness, their health and their overall well-being.

Through that sacrifice I have come to learn a great deal. Whilst I am teaching him how to sit, stand and roll over, he is teaching me how to be more patient, more compassionate and more considerate.

Thanks to Vito, the last six months have made me a better person in a number of ways, and so I wanted to share my top six reasons why everyone should have a dog.

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• Health

Having a dog will force you to incorporate a lot more exercise into your daily routine. Whether it be through walking, running or playing tug-of-war, your dog is likely to get you burning some calories--especially if you end up with an energetic breed. This will keep you in good shape and improve your overall health.

• Laughter

Imagine leaving the room for a few moments and returning to see this;

Having seen that mouse being used many times before, Mhysa--my other roommate's dog--thought she would give it a go herself. This was a hilarious moment, but it is merely one of a thousand that both Mhysa and Vito have gifted to me. If you have a dog, there is no doubt that they too will supply you with more laughs than you can fathom, perhaps at a moment when you need it the most.

• Cuteness

Cute is a word that I very rarely use, but there is no other word to describe some of the moments that your puppy is bound to deliver to you.

Be it puppies cuddling each other, falling asleep on your leg, or enthusiastically demonstrating every trick they know, desperately trying to earn the treat they think is in your pocket-- even though it's just your hand, there are again thousands of cute moments that will bring a smile to the face of even the grumpiest of humans.

• Companionship

Life can be lonely or boring at times. With a dog in your life, these times can become much rarer. You will never be alone as long as they're with you, and the wag of their tail every time you return into the room, or every morning when you awake, will demonstrate to you how much they appreciate your company. This can be a wonderful thing to behold.

• Patience

Now all the previously stated points have spoke only of the great side of having a dog, but I do not want to mislead anyone into thinking that it is an easy task. Training a puppy can be exhaustive work. From peeing in the house, to chewing your favourite shoes and a million other things, there are going to be a lot of bad habits you will have to endure during those early stages of getting your dog trained. Through the realisation that any mistakes they continue to make are your fault, and not theirs, one can learn a great deal of patience, which will come in very useful when applied to other aspects of life.

• Duty

If none of the aforementioned points were enough to convince you, then consider the following;

There are far too many dogs out there that are in desperate need of a home. We define the word humanity as being kind, compassionate and benevolent in nature. I believe that it is our duty to live up to this definition, and there is nothing kind, nor benevolent about allowing millions of animals to be killed if we had the means to give them a life worthy of living.

I ask you to consider this, as well as all that you can gain through caring for a dog, and think about whether you are in a position to add a new member to your family.

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Secret Bounty

If you made it this far, I want to invite you to win a secret bounty. Some comments I have been receiving recently have revealed to me that not everyone bothers to read the entire post, and I would like to start rewarding those who do, because your attention is greatly valued. These are just my top reasons for getting yourself a dog, but I know that there are plenty other reasons out there. If you want an opportunity to win 50 STEEM, you must do only two things.

• Resteem this post so that others might get a chance to participate.

• Share in the comments your top reason why someone should own a dog.

Tomorrow, I will check through the comments and whichever I consider to be my favourite reason, I will transfer 50 STEEM to the author of the comment. I may also ask for input from @thetruthfairy if I happen to see her before then. Good luck!

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Header image is royalty free, sourced from pixabay.com. All other images are my own.