5 reasons why I love having a dog

If you're a regular reader of my blog or a stalker of my social channels, you'll already know that I've got a beautiful corgi called Jessie who I love with all my heart.

Jessie turned 2 last week, so I thought it was the perfect time to blog about why I love having a dog. 

1. There's always someone waiting for you when you get home 

I love it that Jessie is always enthusiastically waiting for me when I get home, without fail. She's usually sitting on the windowsill eagerly awaiting my arrival, then her nose appears by the front door as soon as I open it the tiniest crack. She's always tail-waggingly delighted to see me whether I've been gone for ten hours or ten minutes, and I love knowing that I'll be seeing her beautiful little face after a long day. 

2. You absolutely have to leave the house to go for a walk, even when you don't feel like it 

When Jessie first barreled into our lives, I wasn't in a great place. I was off sick from work and some days I just wanted to hide under my duvet and stay there all day. However, having Jessie meant I had to force myself to get out of the house every day to take her for a walk. It did me the world of good, and I'll be forever grateful to her for pulling me out of that slump. Taking Jessie out for a walk is brilliant exercise, it gives us lots of fresh air, it makes us appreciate our beautiful surroundings and, best of all, it makes her super happy. 

3. She loves me unconditionally whatever I've done, whatever I look like and whatever I feel like 

I know Jessie will always love me even when I look terrible, when I'm grumpy, when I'm ill, when I've said and done silly things, or when I just feel rubbish about myself. She's never judgmental or two faced, and she loves me just the way I am. The phrase 'dogs are a man's (or woman's) best friend' makes perfect sense to me now that I've got a dog of my own, and Jessie is an integral part of our little family. 

4. She makes me smile every single day 

Jessie is unintentionally hilarious, and I'm sure all dog owners would say exactly the same thing about their fluffy companions. The more earnest and serious she tries to be, the more she makes me chuckle. She never fails to make me laugh and smile, whatever mood I'm in, and I'm so grateful to her for bringing so much joy and laughter into our lives. 

5. Unlimited cwtches 

I always said I wanted a cwtchy dog, and Jessie is exactly that. In the evenings after her walk, she loves nothing more than to snuggle up between us on the sofa and nuzzle her nose into my pyjamas. She's the fluffiest and most affectionate dog I've ever met, and she's the perfect size for sofa cwtches. I genuinely can't remember what life was like before she took over our lives (and our furniture). 

There are plenty more reasons why I love Jessie which I could talk about all day, but I thought I'd stick to my top five for this blog post!