What If Your Dog Chose You On Purpose?
The Dog That Changed the Way I Think About Animals
Photo by Barnabas Davoti
Why So Many People Rely on Animals for Emotional Support
During my years working in crisis response alongside law enforcement, I met a lot of people who relied on animals for emotional support.
As our society has changed, more and more people have turned to pets for companionship, comfort, and stability during difficult times. For many, those relationships become lifelines.
Sometimes those situations were beautiful.
Sometimes they were complicated.
Photo by Wendy Herrera
The Dog That Changed the Way I Think About Animals
One case in particular stayed with me.
The woman lived alone with her dog. She struggled with significant mental health challenges and signs of cognitive decline. There were ongoing concerns about her ability to care for herself, but legally, she remained able to make her own decisions.
The dog became a frequent topic of conversation among those involved.
We worried.
We wondered whether the dog was getting everything it needed. We looked for ways to help within the limits of what we could legally do. We wanted better for both of them.
And yet, no matter how many times I thought about the situation, I couldn't shake the feeling that there was something more to it.
Photo by Manda Walker
What If Animals Come Into Our Lives for a Reason?
One day, while reflecting on the case, a thought came to me so clearly that it stopped me in my tracks.
What if this dog was exactly where it wanted to be?
Not because the circumstances were ideal.
Not because the situation was easy.
But because this dog's purpose was tied to this woman in a way we could not fully understand.
What if part of its reason for being here was to love her?
To stay beside her.
To watch over her.
To accompany her through a chapter of life that few others were willing or able to witness.
Photo by Alena Evseenko
Can Animals Have a Purpose in Our Lives?
That thought changed something in me.
Until then, I had mostly viewed animals as recipients of our care. We feed them. Protect them. Train them. Help them.
But what if they are helping us too?
What if some animals arrive in our lives with their own purpose?
What if they choose relationships that look imperfect from the outside but carry meaning we cannot see?
Photo by Mithul Varshan
The Bond Between People and Animals
I don't know the answers to those questions.
What I do know is that after years of working with people and animals, I have come to believe that the bond between them is often deeper than we realize.
Photo by Mathias Reding
Sometimes a Pet Is More Than a Pet
Sometimes a dog is more than a pet.
Sometimes a cat is more than a companion.
Sometimes they are teachers, guardians, witnesses, and friends.
What Animals Teach Us About Love
And sometimes they remind us that love does not always look the way we expect it to.
Sometimes it simply stays.
*The animals we love give us so much throughout their lives. If you'd like to learn more about Pet Energy Sessions, you can explore them here.
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