I’ve been wanting to adopt a pet for a long time. I’ve always had a dog in my heart, but thanks to some friends’ recommendations for easy care, I occasionally turned to cats. The pandemic really rekindled this feeling, and I started researching what kind of dog I could get.
I’ll be honest, I started researching the characteristics of different breeds and even decided that a Border Collie, with its intelligence and energy, would be a good option. Just as I was starting to research what kind of Border Collie I should get, life threw another curveball at me.
Our wind farm’s Rottweiler-mixed dog, Zeina, became pregnant. I decided to wait. After giving birth, Zeina had seven puppies. One of them died. I started discussing the remaining six puppies with the idea of adopting one. However, they were very young at the time, so I waited for them to grow a little more. When they were two months old, I decided to take another look.
Sunny’s mother and sister
A distinctly timid one
When I entered their area, all the cubs jumped at me; some were jumping, some were sniffing, and some were rubbing against me. Only the one, a white one, looked at me timidly from the corner. I was surprised and went over to her; she was shivering. I petted her, and the shivering stopped, but she remained timid. When she looked into my eyes while I petted her, I had made my decision.
I pointed to Sunny at the field and said, “I want to adopt her.” That day, at the end of the meetings, they prepared a cardboard box, put Sunny inside, and we took her with us in the car to Istanbul. I’d like to share some photos I took during the first days I took Sunny home:
Meanwhile, we had all but one of Sunny’s siblings adopted by people in the area. We kept Sunny’s sister, Windy, at the wind field. As you can probably guess, I named my dog Sunny to represent my first love, the solar energy industry, and I named Sunny’s sister Windy to reflect her place of residence (see Bonus 1 at the end of the article).
Sunny started staying in my room when she was 2 months old. As you can imagine, she wasn’t very vocal as a baby, and she was always peeing and pooping. After two challenging months, I sent Sunny off to training at 4 months old. After a month of training at the BAC (highly recommended), Sunny gradually began to recover and respond to commands. After training, I took her back home; her character was now well-established, and our life together was starting to work. To help you visualize this, I’d like to share two photos we took of Sunny when she was 4 months old:
In this article, I’ll explain how pets were beneficial to us while raising Sunny. First, I want to say that my respect for those who care for animals has grown significantly since I started caring for my own pets. Everyone who does this job properly, as it should be, is a true hero. Now, let’s talk about the benefits of pet care for people:
1) It reduces stress
In an environment where we experience so much stress, pets have an undeniable stress-reducing effect. When I’m feeling stressed, I feel my stress decrease when I pet Sunny or play ball with her. Due to the pandemic, we have at least 2-3 Zoom meetings a day. Some meetings can be stressful.
One day, during a Zoom meeting that was bothering me, just when I was feeling the most stressed, Sunny came up to me and started licking my hands and arms. I couldn’t help but laugh. During a tense moment when everyone was arguing, no one could understand my laughter (they called me crazy), but that laughter changed both my mood and the atmosphere of the meeting.
It’s scientifically proven that animals reduce stress. According to research conducted at Washington State University, cuddling pets is an extremely effective stress-reducing method. Researchers were able to measure this calming effect biologically.
In a study conducted with 249 university students: The students were taken into a room full of cats and dogs for ten minutes and played with the animals.
The students’ levels of the stress hormone cortisol were measured before entering and after leaving the room. It was found that interacting with pets not only has an emotional impact but also affects their body chemistry. They observed a significant decrease in cortisol levels after playing with the animals, compared to when they were not in contact with them. You can read the full article at https://www.sozcu.com.tr/2021/saglik/evcil-hayvan-sahibi-olmak-stres-azaltiyor-6471507/ .
2) It Provides Socialization
When I took Sunny outside or to the park, I started meeting many pet owners who lived nearby. There’s nothing more natural than meeting people in the same neighborhood I didn’t even know lived near me, right? But especially after the pandemic, with everyone stuck at home, socialization has plummeted. And of course, the environment in big cities pushes people toward isolation. Now, outside my neighborhood, we meet and become friends with many animal lovers while running in the woods or attending training sessions at the dog training center. Our love for animals is a common thread and a unifying factor for all of us.
3) You maintain discipline in your life
I take Sunny outside three times a day. The first thing I do when I wake up at 5 a.m. is take Sunny for a walk outside. Then I take her outside at noon and in the evening. Getting up at 5 a.m. sounds difficult, right? When you have a dog, the need to take her outside first thing in the morning and take care of her needs is extra motivation. Creating a routine like this in your life and disciplining yourself is also good for controlling your life.
4) It’s good to take a break from a busy day and get some fresh air
Taking your dog outside three times a day and getting some fresh air is also good for you. You’ll be more productive when you get home and go back to work, and your ability to focus will increase.
5) Physical activity is good for your body
Taking your dog out, walking, and returning is a serious physical activity. Especially if you have an excited dog like Sunny, who has now reached adulthood, the effort associated with this physical activity increases. I can say that physical activity has a significant positive impact on both physical and mental well-being.
6) You live life more practically
I used to get hung up on unnecessary details. Having a dog, I realized that letting these things go is crucial for the flow of life. When Sunny poops outside, I always pick her up in a bag. After doing this several times a day, for a few days in a row, this process quickly became normal. What used to disgust me now feels perfectly normal; I don’t worry about the details.
7) You learn to live in the moment
One of the most important qualities of dogs is that they live in the moment. They may bark in response to something, but if they enjoy something immediately afterward, they quickly forget about it and enjoy the moment. This is perhaps one of the most important characteristics we can learn from dogs in terms of lifestyle. If humans could focus on the moment and enjoy it, they would be spared many unnecessary troubles. Dwelling on the past causes depression and overthinking the future causes anxiety. The important thing is to live in the moment. Carpe diem.
8) Helps overcome fear of animals
Sunny is so sweet that she endears herself to many people who are shy around animals. This could be someone I don’t know on the street (I insistently introduce Sunny to many people by saying, “Touch her head, pet her, you’ll see, nothing will happen, you’ll enjoy it”), or someone in my close circle. For example, one of the women caring for my grandmother was terrified of dogs. Now she’s started petting her and giving her water. I can say she’s partially overcome her fear of animals (for now). The goal is to help her overcome this fear completely.
9) Being happy with the little things and being grateful
Dogs don’t live life as complicated as humans. According to their perception, meeting their basic needs is enough to make them happy: eating, drinking, toileting, sleeping, playing, and breeding. That’s all. Whether at home or outdoors, they always act with the instinct to meet their basic needs. When they can meet them, they’re happy, and they immediately express this happiness. In response to dog-like gratitude, they wag their tails, lick you, and make various movements and beautiful sounds. Being happy with small things, expressing gratitude, and immediately expressing their happiness are qualities people should emulate from dogs.
10) It prepares for child training
Caring for a dog is like caring for a 2- or 3-year-old child. They need you constantly, and they can cheer you up with their childhood naivety. Taking them outside, taking care of their toilet, providing them with food and water, and showing them affection are their basic needs. You treat all of these with the same care you would a child. This prepares you for the children you will raise in the future (I’m talking about myself, of course). And, most importantly, for my future children…
11) The benefits of dog training for personal training
If you want to take dog care seriously and practice, you can train your dog alongside your dog. The ability to teach dogs basic principles can be beneficial in many areas of life. You can apply concepts like being systematic, explaining things simply, bonding with and empathizing with your dog, a lot of repetition and consistency, not giving up, rewards, and reverse motivation in many different areas of your life.
Animal lovers who have cared for animals will empathize with what I’ve said. I hope this article has provided some perspective for those considering adopting a pet.
In short, if you’re ready to take on this responsibility and can afford it, I highly recommend adopting a pet. Life is better when you socialize with all the creatures around us.
Bonus 1: Months later, I took Sunny back to her birthplace, our wind farm in Babalı Village, Kandıra, Kocaeli. There, despite the rain, she played for hours with her sister, Windy, whom she’d seen for months. During their first meeting in months, Windy initially didn’t recognize Sunny, barked at her fiercely, and tried to shoo her away, driven by protective instincts. Sunny paid no attention. Then I stepped in, grabbed them both, and touched their heads. The scene that followed was incredible. They both began playing with such joy. After the 10-second bout of rage, this was a completely different, loving sight. Here’s the video we shot of them playing:
Tag: memoir
