A Man’s Best Friend, Truly—This One’s for the Dogs

man's best friend my dog gunner
Summer ’93-Gunner

A man’s best friend, truly.

Most of the time, if you grew up with a dog as a child, you end up wanting them as an adult—and for a good reason. As long as you treat them well, the way you’d want to be treated, they surpass the role of just a pet.

They’re a friend.

Can play the role of a child for some.

And undoubtedly a part of the family.

So it is no surprise that dogs get a national holiday all to themselves. I mean, if mothers and fathers do, why shouldn’t dogs, too?

A Day for Man’s Best Friend

Founded in 2004, National Dog Day celebrates every single dog known to man and encourages adoption. The day helps people acknowledge the countless impacts that dogs have on our lives. From therapy and rescue to your everyday playmate and putting their own lives on the line, dogs are some of the most selfless creatures out there, and they more than deserve this celebration especially as man’s best friend.

My Golden Retriever Gunner

As I grew up, my parents had a Golden Retriever (Gunner) that they got as a pup just before I was born. As I grew older, he grew into the role of my protector. My mom has told me stories of how he’d peek over the bassinet to ensure I was okay and still breathing. I will forever hold onto the memories of the love and affection that Gunner always had for us and how gentle of a creature he remained throughout his 14 years of life.

When I graduated from college in 2014 and prepared myself for the big move to go and live with my husband, my dad only saw it fit to gift me another Golden Retriever as a graduation present. Roscoe instantly became more than a dog for me. At the time, I experienced a miscarriage, and my move to live with my husband meant a lot of time alone as he would be serving his sea duty for the Navy. Roscoe was my biggest support through those times, and he grew into the same role as a protector and playmate for my children.

My Golden Retriver National Dog Day
March 2020-Roscoe

And where there is one, there are usually more, which is the case for us. Riley, our bowling ball of a dog, comes alongside our sweet Golden. One of the goofiest and most stubborn English Bulldogs I have ever known, Riley is here to complete our family and equally deserving of the National Dog Day celebration.

man's best friend
Rambunctious Riley

So give your dog(s) an extra squeeze of love, go out and adopt the one you’ve been contemplating for some time, and celebrate the ones who rightfully earned the title of “Man’s Best Friend.”

Brittanee Guenin
Brittanee was born in Denver, CO and moved to North Platte, NE when she was seven. She has been married to her high school sweetheart since 2013 and after graduating from UNK in 2014 she moved to Washington where her husband was stationed with the Navy. There, they would have their first daughter before moving to South Carolina where their second daughter would be born. In May of 2020 after her husband's contract with the Navy was up, her and her family happily moved back to their home state and made roots in Omaha where they couldn't be more grateful to be. Brittanee enjoys all things family, reading, spending time outdoors, working with kids, being artsy fartsy, and is honored with the privilege to write for Omaha Mom. She's always down for lazy days on the couch watching movies or binging a good show.