Right about now you did one of two things:
1. You either read those words then hummed a melody as inherent in your DNA as DNA
or
2. You read those famous words of the 1964 classic tune from The Beatles and, if you're a latch key kid from the 1980s (like me) you sang those words and instantly thought of Patrick Dempsey (Dr. McDreamy) and the, what I like to consider, cult classic movie of the same name. Sure, you remember it.
A lawnmowing nerd turned popular kid-- turned a-hole--come back around full circle to kindhearted nerd all thanks to $1,000 and one Cindy Mancini (no relation). Cindy ended up falling in love with Ronald after he negotiated her being his girlfriend for one month in exchange for the $1000 to replace a suede designer suit of her mother's that Cindy ruined. I call bullshit on Money Can't Buy You Love.
Coco Chanel once said, "the best things in life are free, the second best are very expensive." I'm sure she was alluding to haute couture fashion, or vacationing in the south of France. It is true, the best things in life are free: sunsets, sharing hopes and dreams under the covers during a rainstorm. A full arced rainbow. Gratitude, appreciation, a smile--they can all go a long way.
She could have been a time traveler and understood that buying a designer puppy from a breeder in 2022 can cost you a lot of money! An arm and a leg to be exact.
And the Beatles were right, money can't buy you love.
But money can buy you a dog, and in turn, give you love that sometimes you so desperately need.
Whether you invest in a puppy from a breeder or you rescue pups from local shelters, the money you spend can bring you a lot of love and joy.
I have both rescues and puppies from breeders. Hell, I even have a pet store pup. (I went in for a beta fish and came out with a Chiwinnie). The joy they bring me is immeasurable.
I have always been a dog lover. From a very young age I have a memory of a white floppy stuffed dog my mom called Anastasia. It looked like a Maltese. My mom would sing to me, "Anastasia, I'm in love with you. Anastasia, do you love me too?" She would flip the stuff animal upside down and the dog's floppy ears and head would fall down, and I would laugh. There began my love for dogs. I would sleep with several stuffed animals including Anastasia surrounding me. I felt safe and secure from the things that go bump in the night.
My aunt had a dog, Tippy. He put up with a lot from me. I would always tell him secrets. He was my confidant, a "girl's best friend".
When I was 5, I told my parents I was running away. I packed a brown paper grocery bag full of clothes and that floppy eared Anastasia and walked my sassy ass across the street to my pap's house. I lasted a whole 3 hours and decided I wanted my bed and the option to climb into my parents' bed should my sisters tell me alligators were under mine.
Oh, I love horses too. I saved money for a horse.
I would "clean" my pap's first floor. It took all of 2-3 minutes for dusting and he would give me $1 or $2. Back in 1977 that was a lot of money. Especially for 3 minutes of work! I crinkled up each dollar bill and stuffed it into a velvet hard plastic reindeer piggy bank that sat atop the console TV (that's a tv built inside a piece of furniture).
One day I took my money, all 72 crinkled up dollar bills to my parents and put it on the table and said, I'm ready to buy a horse. They looked at each other, then looked at me and laughed. Noone had the heart to tell me $72 would not get me a horse.
I laugh now, since I owned two horses. $72 is definitely not enough money to buy, let alone keep a horse.
One day my mother said that her friend's dog had puppies and if I wanted to buy one with my money I could. So, I took my $72 dollars and picked up the most beautiful fluffy black curly haired cockapoo (cocker spaniel/miniature poodle). I named him Sammy. My mother gave him a full name, Samuel Richard (Think French, Ri-chard) Dzadony.
Was Sammy the designer dog of the time? I suppose since everyone is mixing every breed with a poodle in 2022, I could've had a designer dog. Getting one of these 2022 designer dogs can cost you upwards of $3000+and that's for a non-pure breed dog.
You know how much my designer dog cost me? $5.00. 5 Bucks. A fin. A fiver. A five spot.
And I think the lady would've given him to me for free, but I insisted I pay for him.
My Dogs
I have had several dogs over the years. Our dogs enrich our lives in so many ways. They cheer us up when we’re feeling down, they’re loyal companions, and they’re always so happy to see us when we come home. They keep us warm during cold nights (think three dog night). They’re not called man’s best friend for nothing.
Samuel Richard Dzadony (1978-1996)
Kurzhaar Moonrazor von Brodhead "Razor" (2004-2018)
*Votas por Pedro von Brodhead (2012- ) "Pedro"
*Carmen Mujer Murciélago von Brodhead (2014- ) "Carmen"
Chucki Tsrina von Brodhead "Zara" (2018-2022)
*Lady Mae von Brodhead "Lady" (2021- )
*Still living with me
The latest, a male German shorthair pointer comes in the aftermath of a tragic fatal car accident that happened to Zara, my husky.
I couldn't shake the broken heart. I cried at the drop of a hat when I would think of her. I cannot imagine the pain a parent feels when they lose a child. This pain of mine was unbearable, and it was only a dog. And nothing will ever take away the pain of losing a child. I understand that and mourn with my friends. I don't know how they get up every day having lost a child. I really don't.
My depressive state was real. I didn't want to get out of bed. The thought of having fun never crossed my mind. I spent 4 weeks numb.
My friend gave me great advise. "You can't live here, Carol. It's time to get another dog"
Saturday 10/1/22, I mended my broken heart when I met GSP Blue Male #3 from SirDan's Kennels.
Everyone, meet Kurzhaar Kasimir von Brodhead "Kash"
He's the much-needed glue to mend my broken heart. Although part of me feels bad and some may think I'm replacing Zara, I feel like I'm just getting back to the place where I was before I lost her.
And the love dogs give us is evident in all of the pictures of these beautiful pups below. I asked Facebook friends to send me pictures of their dogs. To my pleasant surprise, check out all of the wonderful dogs.
According to Psychology Today, dogs do these 5 things to their humans
1. Dogs improve your mood.
Study after study has shown that owning a pet can help you to maintain a more positive, optimistic perspective on life and what you're faced with. Better yet, they can even lessen the symptoms of depression and anxiety. There are many reasons why this might be the case but author and animal expert Karen Winegar sums it up beautifully: "The human-animal bond bypasses the intellect and goes straight to the heart and emotions and nurtures us in ways that nothing else can."
2. Dogs make you feel loved.
Spending time with dogs, and even more so petting them and cuddling them, increases your levels of oxytocin. Oxytocin, known as the "love hormone," is a neurotransmitter that calms your nervous system down, relaxing you, whilst also increasing your trust.
3. Dogs lower your stress.
Petting dogs not only ups your oxytocin but also lowers your cortisol, the stress hormone. In line with this, studies at the University of New York found that people experienced lower levels of stress when conducting a stressful assignment when they had a pet with them. Studies in workplaces have also shown that taking dogs to work lowers your stress, improves your recovery after challenges and even increases positive social interactions.
4. Dogs help you to be social.
If you're shy, an introvert or simply not that confident in social situations, your dog can help you with this. As your dog greets another dog, it's natural to exchange a few words with the dog's owner. It's easier to chat because you already have one common ground (i.e. dogs) and having these simple interactions can help up your confidence.
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5. Dogs keep you healthy and fit.
If you own a dog and you love them, you take them out for walks. You play with them. You keep them entertained. That means you're active throughout your day which naturally boosts your physical health whilst also, as an added bonus, improves your mood. In line with this, clinical studies have shown that dog owners tend to have lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels, both reducing the risk of heart-related illnesses.
I try my best to feed my dogs the best quality food I can afford. I've tried all the different kinds of foods and the one I feel has helped me keep them very healthy is BullyMax.
Don't let the packaging scare you, you can feed all breeds of dogs this food. Look at my pack-- a 11-year-old Chiwinnie, Pedro, a 9-year-old Chihuahua Carmen, an 18-month-old Lab/Hound Mix, Lady Mae, and my little buddy Kash, 8 weeks (when this article was written). I can feed all of them the same food. It's a local Pittsburgh company that my nephew got me to try because he feeds it to his dog, Pearl (pictured with the pack). Their coats have never been shinier (with Zara her shedding was only during blowout times), their gastrointestinal tract calm and their overall health wonderful. They are thriving. And their musculature and immunity never better.
These are only a few of the many ways that dogs improve the quality of your life. If you've got a dog, make sure you give them an extra cuddle today and tell them how grateful you are for them. Don't worry about whether they will understand or not. They will feel it — and so will you.
So, The Beatles, in theory are right money can't buy you love...
...But it can buy you a dog, which in turn can buy you unconditional love of the fur kind.
