That is an interesting question that will get you a lot of different answers. To some, a good dog is always obedient. In all situations. That can be a lot to live to up to. Some people will tell you their dog is a good dog because they are friendly, well rounded and and generally easy going. I must say, that does sound like a good dog. But what about the dogs who are not always the easiest to live with? Maybe they don't like strangers in their home, or maybe they are reactive towards other dogs. You see, just because they have challenging personalities doesn't mean they too are not good dogs. Many people value a dog who loves to cuddle and believe their dog is a good dog because they are always up for a good snuggle session. So does that make the non cuddlers not good dogs? Of course not! Like people, dogs all have their own individual personalities and while one person may prefer particular traits over others, that doesn't mean the other dogs are less good. They are just different. There are no bad dogs. Although I learned many years ago that you can't save every dog, I do believe there truly are no bad dogs. If a flower doesn't bloom, you change it's environment. You find out how much sun that particular flower needs, adjust it's location accordingly, do the same for water and you feed it the food that has what it needs at just the right amount to produce new growth. We do similar for our children. We should be doing the same for our dogs. Often times a dog just needs the right environment to thrive and become the best dog they can be.
So I ask you today, what makes a good dog good? Maybe, just maybe it is their ability to love and forgive after perhaps they have been given every reason not to.
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