7 Things I Learned From My Shelter Dog
7) Taking care of another living creature makes you want to take care of yourself
Being one of the millions that suffer from depression, I tend to neglect so many of my basic human needs. When depression is at its finest it’s like a wave that washes over, and makes me doubt everything. Everything I know about myself, and what I stand for, falls into a deep sadness. Before I adopted Bentley (a 75lb Bernese Mountain, Border Collie mix) I would stay in my apartment for days at a time, only opening the door for delivery personnel, who would come to know me by name. Sometimes not seeing the sun for three or four days at a time. When I adopted Bentley that all changed. He needed to go for walks, or at least outside to do his business. He needed love, and some resemblance of a routine. When I gave him that, I started remembering I’m a human who needs a social life, and to believe in her passions again. He reminds me that I am worthy of a better life.
