I've known Daisy for five years, and she has taught me lessons about loyalty, happiness, friendship and love that I'll never forget.
Daisy is a wonderful companion. She never complains about what is being served for dinner, and she's never forced me to go to the fabric store or sit through the movie Pride and Prejudice(both are my kryptonite).
Instead, she'll happily sit beside me as I binge watch Netflix or cheer on my team in a football game, and she's never asked me if I thought she looked fat.
Daisy is my best friend, and she's never said a word to me because Daisy is a golden retriever.
Earlier this year a class of fourth graders at Daybreak Elementary crafted a bill to make the golden retriever the beehive state's domestic animal.
The bill was shot down by the state legislature this past March.
What is it that makes a dog man's best friend, and what lessons can we learn from our four-legged friends?
Show enthusiasm for the people you love
Whenever I walk through the front door, I'm always greeted by a whine. Then a blur of golden fur, (that coats my living room and clothes - don't get me started) as my dog runs circles around me and leans up against me putting all of her weight on my legs and her gentle eyes that can only be described as kind, look up at me.
My dog is just happy to see me. It doesn't matter if I have been gone for five seconds or five hours, I'm always greeted warmly. I can't recall a time when my dog wasn't pleased to see me.
Unlike my dog, I can't say I've always been pleased to see people at my door, like the pushy salesman or shady-looking people who've come to buy an item I had apparently placed on ksl.com when I have no memory of ever posting such a thing (thanks for the practical joke, my brother's friends).
Everyone needs a friend
Dogs aren't as picky when choosing their friends.
We've all had our bad days when the car won't start, the bills pile up, we argue with our families, and to top it all, we're frustrated because the Utah Jazz, once again, have had a mediocre season with a below .500 record. Hey, there's always next year.
But dogs don't have bad days, and they don't hold grudges. Dogs find joy in the simple things in life.
Whenever I grab the mail key, Daisy will bound to the front door, tail wagging and a big doggish smile forming on her face because she simply loves going to get the mail.
She loves going for walks, running at the park, sitting next to me while I read or just being in the same room as the family.
There is always time to think of others
Dogs can teach us about self-less service.
The organization "Canines with a Cause" rescues dogs from kill shelters and trains them to become service animals for veterans suffering from PTSD.
Select women at the Utah State Prison work at training the dogs to become service dogs.
After they're trained, the dogs are paired with a veteran depending on the individual's needs as far as temperament, personality, size and other factors.
Program director Cathy King said, "We're kind of like a dating service between people and dogs getting them setup with their perfect match."
Provide constant support
Webster's Dictionary defines loyal as, "having or showing complete and constant support for someone or something."
Relationships come and go, friends drift further apart through the years (though we still insist on seeing what our friends from high school are up to ten plus years later via Facebook), but it's comforting to know man's best friend is there showing us complete and constant support.
These friendly, loyal, caring companions may never say a word to us, but actions speak louder than words, and we can all learn something from them.
