Does Your Spouse Love You More Than The Dog?

Once again, I've found and interesting article to blog about. According to this article, a third of Americans admit to missing their dog more than their spouse. It also says that 9 out of 10 Americans believe that the dog is more excited to see them after a hard day at work, than their spouse. You can read the article here

Sound familiar? I can understand that part about the dog being more excited to see me when I get home from work. Crystal doesn't run down the stairs and jump up and down when I get home. Yes, I usually get a kiss and a hug and a salutation, but as far as excitement level, Ranger wins every time. Then again, he gets just as excited when I go to get the mail and come back. He's a nut.

The most interesting statistic is that a third of people miss their dog more then their spouse. That tells me that two thirds of people have some sort of marital issue that they are not discussing. To have that many people who don't miss their spouse, to me, is troubling. Is their that many people that can't wait to get away from the love of their life?

I love my dog, he's a great hairy ball of fun, but he's a DOG. Some people are way too attached to their pets. I used to know someone who every time they had dinner they would make a plate of the same food for their dog so the dog could eat with the family. Yes, they are nice and fun and loving and all that, but at the end of the day, its just an animal, its not a real person.

Here's what I think is going on- loving a dog is safe. Dogs will take whatever you dish out and still keep loving you. You can ignore a dog and they will come back to you. You can talk to another dog and they wont get mad. Dogs provide unconditional affection. But, its still a dog.

Safe or not, you were created to interact with humans. God created you for community with other people. He never intended you to live your life isolated from other people. I can understand that people get hurt emotionally by other people, but that doesn't mean that you love your dog more than your spouse.

Taking emotional steps in relationships are hard, but they pay huge dividends. Don't spend your life hiding behind the affection of an animal because you're too afraid to tell your loved ones how you feel. Be willing to be a bit vulnerable and honest about you feel about the relationship.

Perhaps if we were a bit more honest about how we felt in our relationships those people wouldn't miss their dogs more than their spouses.

Be blessed
matt