Sometimes a Facebook post comes along that so many people relate to that it truly unites them over their love of dogs and makes them forget about their differences for a little while.
It helps us overcome our differences on what is the best dog food, longest lasting toys, safest flea prevention, and the right training collar.
In other words, it brings us back to what really is important.
One such post was written recently by Austin Conway, about his beautiful German shepherd, Stella. The post captured exactly what pet ownership truly is:
Devotion and commitment to your pet, no matter what, every single day as long as you both are alive.
It is not dumping your dog in a shelter because they get sick, stink, shed, or haven’t been trained right.
It’s about being by their side to the very end and not just the first half.
It’s not about replacing them with a younger, cuter model when things get rough or expensive or require more work.
It’s about love and love means being there through all of it.
We love how Austin captured what dog ownership should truly be and how he unabashedly shares the love of his fur baby.
Apparently we are not alone in our thinking because at the time of this writing, the original post has received over 360k likes, 50k comments, and 245k shares.
Here is Austin’s post, in his own words. He says it best:
“Really hate to be making this post right now...
My girl Stella is just too much to handle sometimes. She is constantly shedding all over my bed and clothes. Is always wanting to go outside at the most inconvenient times.
The other day she even stole a piece of bread off of my plate when I wasn’t looking.
And it’s even harder to find an apartment to live in that will take her, since she is a German Shepherd mix.
Generally, I always end up paying a higher rent, because only select apartments accept her. So, I have came to the decision that I will not be giving her up.
I will continue to deal with pet hair on all of my belongings.
I will continue to get out of bed at 6 am or midnight when she’s begging me to go out even though I just took her.
I will continue dealing with a food thief.
I will continue to base my living situation off of her for as long as she’s alive.
And I will continue making any sacrifice I SIGNED UP FOR when I adopted her over 4 years ago.
She will continue to be with me no matter what city I move to, however many children I have, or how much of a pain in my ass she can be.
She’s family, and if you don’t view an animal in this same way, please do us all a favor and don’t get a pet until you do.”
Thanks Austin for saying it so well. Austin is not just a dog lover, but also a professional baseball player. You can follow his Facebook page. In his follow up to his original post he wrote:
“Blown away by how many people have been reached by my post of Stella. This was certainly never what I intended when I created the post, but it’s been amazing seeing how far this message has spread, and to see how many others feel the same way about their pets. I’ve had endless amounts of comments and messages thanking me for speaking out, and some telling of the struggles they have with their dogs and that the post was just what they needed to hear to gain some patience. Whatever you’re going through with your pet, good times and bad, it will always be worth it. I wish I could respond to every single person that has reached out to me, but I’m grateful for however many people this can reach and I hope it makes a small impact in raising some much needed awareness in the pet community! God Bless!”
Please share his words with your family and friends.
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