Happy Chinese New Year! Every year, one of twelve  chinese zodiac animals represents the new year,and this year is the year of the dog. If you are born in a year of the dog, it is said that you are very  loyal and maybe  a little anxious on the inside. That description sounds A LOT like Daphne, so I decided to reflect on my relationship with her.

To me, Daphne is way more than a cute face (but she does have one of the cutest)! Whenever I’m stressed, sad, or angry I go and pet her, wherever she is. When I used to be afraid of kidnappers, she would always sleep on my bed  with me at night and never get annoyed if I was hugging her. And, seeing Daphne happy and running and playing makes my day!

Recently I read a short story about the strong relationship between a girl and her loyal and steadfast dog, Lob. In the story Lob’s Girl, a girl named Sandy was playing on the beach one day when Lob, a german shepherd with topaz colored eyes, came running to play with her.

Lob and Sandy have an unbeatable, unbreakable, and a never ending friendship. Even when their journey together just began, their relationship was strong. Walking 800 miles total to see Sandy is AMAZING and proves how strongly they love each other. But their friendship goes further. In my opinion, the best companionship is  one where even if you go through great deals for each other, you still have to keep doing your part as a friend. It’s not enough to just do something meaningful once, and then say, “I’m done” and “we’re best friends,” It’s important  to keep showing your commitment to each other every day. And that’s the same special bond that Lob and Sandy had.

I’ve never had a friendship that is AS dramatic as Lob and Sandy’s, but I’ve faced some of my own puzzles in my relationship with Daphne. One of the reasons is that Daphne has so  much anxiety about lots of things, and she can’t play with most of the foster dogs. But, that hasn’t stopped us from being best friends. The challenge is that she never wants to be in the room  with us when there is a foster puppy/dog.  It’s not out of fear, just not wanting to deal with the other dogs, so it is easy to forget that she still wants attention. I always make sure to give extra special Daphne Time to her everyday and make sure she knows how much I love her.

Were you born in the year of the dog or do you have any friends and family that were? If so, do you see the personality traits that supposedly characterize people born in those years? And, what chinese zodiac animal are you!?!