Latest / the Daily Quote - Positive Daily Inspiration and Motivational Quote of the Day / Josh Billings - A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself

Transcript

Josh Billings - A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself · the Daily Quote - Positive Daily Inspiration and Motivational Quote of the Day

• 0:03
  Welcome to The Daily Quote, a podcast designed to kick start
• 0:06
  your day in a positive way. I'm your host Andrew McGivern
• 0:10
  for August 26th, today's National Dog Day.
• 0:14
  Founded in 2004 by animal advocate Colleen Page, she chose
• 0:19
  August 26th because it was the day her family adopted their
• 0:23
  first dog, Sheltie, when she was only 10 years old.
• 0:28
  The holiday celebrates all dogs, mixed breeds and purebreds
• 0:31
  alike, while highlighting the countless dogs in shelters
• 0:34
  waiting for homes. National Dog Day serves a dual
• 0:38
  purpose, celebrating the unconditional love, loyalty, and
• 0:41
  joy that dogs bring into our lives while raising awareness
• 0:45
  about dog rescue and adoption. Since its founding, the holiday
• 0:49
  has grown worldwide and is even written into New York State
• 0:53
  legislation. Dogs have been human companions
• 0:56
  for thousands of years, offering protection, assistance, and most
• 1:00
  importantly, unwavering friendship.
• 1:03
  They asked for so little food, shelter, and love, yet they give
• 1:08
  us everything in return. Which brings us to today's quote
• 1:12
  from the author Josh Billings, who once said a dog is the only
• 1:17
  thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself.
• 1:23
  Josh Billings captured something profound about the canine spirit
• 1:26
  that makes National Dog Day so meaningful.
• 1:29
  Dogs possess a rare quality, the ability to love completely
• 1:33
  selflessly. They don't love us
• 1:35
  conditionally, based on our moods, our success, or even how
• 1:40
  we treat them on any given day. They love us simply because we
• 1:43
  exist in their world. Think about how a dog greets you
• 1:48
  after you've been gone, whether for 5 minutes or five hours.
• 1:51
  The enthusiasm is the same. They don't hold grudges, they
• 1:56
  don't keep score, and they don't love you less because you had a
• 2:00
  bad day at work or forgot to give them that extra treat.
• 2:04
  This selfless love is especially powerful when we consider that
• 2:08
  there's so many dogs still waiting in shelters.
• 2:11
  These animals, many abandoned or surrendered through no fault of
• 2:15
  their own, haven't lost their capacity to love.
• 2:18
  They're ready to offer that same unconditional devotion to
• 2:21
  whoever gives them a chance. Billings observation reminds us
• 2:26
  that in a world that often feels complicated and conditional,
• 2:31
  dogs offer something pure and simple.
• 2:34
  Love without agenda, loyalty without limits.
• 2:40
  I've had a few dogs in my life, and our current dog, Pepper is
• 2:45
  an amazing dog that has all of these qualities we've gone over
• 2:48
  today. She is loyal and loving,
• 2:52
  enthusiastic and happy. She makes each day a little
• 2:56
  better just by being herself. And she's actually a rescue dog
• 3:01
  from Texas. She and all her siblings were
• 3:04
  transported north in a little white band.
• 3:08
  COVID restrictions were still in effect and being from Canada, I
• 3:12
  couldn't cross the border to pick up Pepper so they came up
• 3:15
  with a Plan B. They sent us the instructions to
• 3:20
  pick up the dog with a link to a YouTube video showing what we
• 3:23
  needed to do and I couldn't believe it.
• 3:26
  My first thought was, is this legal?
• 3:30
  Seemed shady to me. But on the pickup day, I drove
• 3:35
  to Zero Ave. on the BC side of the Canadian USA border.
• 3:40
  And I waited with the other expectant doggy Mummy and
• 3:43
  Daddy's at Peace Arch Park. And when the white van pulled up
• 3:48
  into the parking lot at the other end of this big field,
• 3:52
  they carried these little puppies across the field and
• 3:55
  called out the dog's name. And when they called Pepper's
• 3:58
  name, I stepped forward with my paperwork and they gave me the
• 4:02
  vaccination records and just handed that beautiful little
• 4:05
  puppy across the border. Weird, right?
• 4:10
  Then I just had to walk over to customs with Pepper, declare the
• 4:13
  dog and paid the GST and drove home with our new family member
• 4:21
  and the customs officer. They seemed to know what was
• 4:24
  going on. They first question they asked
• 4:25
  me is that at any point did you step across the US line?
• 4:29
  And they said no, you said OK, and then pay the tax.
• 4:34
  And away I went. Honestly, it was one of the
• 4:38
  strangest things I've ever done, and I've done some strange
• 4:42
  things. So today, in honor of National
• 4:46
  Dog Day, take a moment to appreciate the dogs in your
• 4:49
  life, or consider opening your heart to one who needs a home.
• 4:54
  Remember Josh Billings insight about the pure, selfless nature
• 4:59
  of canine love? Whether you're a lifelong dog
• 5:02
  owner or thinking about adoption for the first time, dogs remind
• 5:07
  us that the best kind of love is the kind that gives freely,
• 5:11
  expects little, and never keeps for.
• 5:14
  That's going to do it for today. May you love as freely as a dog,
• 5:18
  and may you always recognize the gift of unconditional devotion.
• 5:24
  I'm Andy McGivern, signing off for now but I'll be back
• 5:28
  tomorrow. Same pod time, same pod station
• 5:34
  with another daily quote.