This is a tale of everything my dog has thought me with his absolutely unconditional love and ability to live in this moment, without a worry for tomorrow. It talks about the lessons learned in life from a dog. And it will teach you without a doubt why our dog is happier than you!
“A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself.”
Josh Billings
“The better I get to know men, the more I find myself loving dogs.”
Charles de Gaulle
“Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole.”
Roger Caras
Dogs Truly Are Our Best Friends
Anyone who has ever had a dog can relate themselves with at least one of these famous sayings about dogs. I can with all of them. I have had many dogs in my life and they have both thought me so much more than I ever gave them a credit for.
Some time ago I saw this movie from bright side (one of my favourite websites, a place full of inspirational stories) in my Facebook feed.
I watched it and it touched me greatly with it’s message. I stopped to think about everything my dog means to me and why he is so incredibly happy most of the time.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_Tto7Z4TXY
I had a beautiful golden retriever. I loved her more than anything else in the whole world. I got her as a puppy when I was 20 years old and I did everything with her. She was always there for me when I needed her, she truly became part of me.
But years went by, I got older and so did she. I became one a mom and she was the most gentle dog you can imagine around the kids. They could poke her in the nose, pull her tail and she would just happily let them enjoying their annoying company.
Then came the sad day she was suddenly no longer with us, I was far away and could not get there in time. She died in my mothers arms. I cried and cried, there was no end for my sorrow. I thought I could never love any dog like I had loved her.
I couldn’t bear the thought of having an other dog, but we had several other pets. The children were particularly fond of our rabbits, but my daughter often spoke of a dog. But I closed off my heart and hardened my mind for her please, other pets would have to be enough!
Faith Decided Otherwise
Then one day I was visiting my best friend in Roskilde, Denmark. She is someone who has walked with me so many years in my life that she was more like a sister to me. Her beautiful female Stabij, rare Dutch dog breed, had just has had puppies 3 days earlier.

They were the size of my hand and they were still blind! They had a short silky, white and black fur. I was sitting there, watching them, when one of them suddenly started crawling toward my outstretched hand.
When the puppy reached it, he sniffed my hand, licked it and crawled around trying to suckle. After a moment he came to the conclusion there was no milk on offer and fall asleep on my hand. My heart melted and although I knew it was not going to be easy, he belonged to me and me to him.

The first years we full of love and joy, but we knew nothing of taking care of hunting dog spices, which caused some misery and many problems related to our already complicated lifestyle, which now had yet an other part of the puzzle, which we had to somehow fit in.
However I could never ever imagine parting with our stubborn, wild, energetic, playful little monster, the most loving and loyal dog imaginable.
Why Is My Dog Happier Than Me?
Returning now to the few weeks ago when I saw the movie about why dogs are generally happier than humans, I decided to not only write this story, but also make my own movie about our bundle of joy!
His name is Muffit, after my childhood hero Muffit The Daggit, a robotic pet from Battlestar Galactica a science fiction series from1980’s! I still remember the day he died due to a fire in the series after rescuing lot of the crew members. He was a true hero and I cried myself a sleep for a whole week 🙁

However just like all beloved pets, Muffit has many names! He answers to the calls of at least the following:
Baby
Boy
Baby Boy
Baby Bear
Muffy
Muffi-bear
Muffi-fluffy
Muff-man
Curly Butt
Snooselie-Poes
Some of them are pretty funny, eh? Well how about this; We also made some songs about him. The most popular being song with the Batman tone:
NANA-NANA-NANA-NANA-NANA-NANA-NANA-MUFF-MAN!
Beside of 1000 cute little stories I could tell about him, I will leave that for an other time, he has also thought us so many life lessons, showing me how our pets can truly show us the way!
My Dog Is Happier Than Me Because He Takes Plenty Of Naps
Everyone knows that sleep is important. The rest, besides refreshing us, get rid of the toxins that accumulate in our brains. Without any sleep everyone will go crazy and it will finally lead to death.

Just a few badly slept nights and we all know the effects of sleep deprivation! We are irritable, have trouble of concentrating, experience memory problems and our reaction time, for instance in traffic, doubles.
So why do we always insist on sleeping too little? In the morning we can’t sleep in, because we need to go to work or take the kids to the school. In the evening we want to watch the late night movie and during the day there is always so much to do. Sleep simply has to wait!
Often even during our holidays we pack in so many activities, everything from meeting up with friends and taking early morning excursions that we go back to work just as exhausted as before.

Muffit, he knows sleep is important! He takes plenty of naps throughout the day, sleeping outside in the sun, soaking up the rays or snores loudly on the sofa. Besides this, he also sleeps at least 8h every night and 10h most nights!
Try to get him excited about the idea of going for a walk before 8am or after 10pm, no way! He will give you the look and just turn lazily around exposing his belly, inviting you to join him. An if you do, he happily cuddles next to you, excited for snoozing company.
My Dog Is Happier Than Me Because He Gets Plenty Of Exercise
We all know exercise is good for us. It helps out bodies maintain a healthy body mass and keeps our muscles in good condition. It helps to improve blood circulation and increases lung capacity! It also releases endorphins which in return make us happy!

So why do so many of us get very little to no daily exercise? We have become a generation of true coach potatoes, who take a car instead of walking or bicycling couple of kilometers. We have learned to use the elevator instead of the stairs and avoid physical work in any ways we can!
Muffit loves exercise. He is at his happiest when he is allowed to run around free. When he gets to chase after the birds and swim in the sea or the pond. He is happy to climb mountains and go hunting for the rabbits in the forest!

He knows exercise will keep him healthy and happy. He doesn’t care if the weather is bad or if it’s too hot, he is still burning with desire to go for a good run, simply because it makes him happy 🙂
My Dog Is Happier Than Me Because He Gives Plenty Of Love
Everyone knows that giving is receiving and the relationships are about give and take right? But somehow we have started to expect that we need to get love without giving anything back.
We spend our whole lives looking for love in all sorts of ways and places, not realizing that that we push love away with our own attitudes and bitterness.
Even when we build our friendships or our relationships we are thought to hold back, not to show our feelings too eagerly, to play games and keep the other part uncertain and in the dark of our hearts desires.
Muffit knows it’s a too way street. He gives his love freely, unconditionally and without asking anything back. He wants you to know he loves you and only you.

He cannot speak, but he goes into great lengths of showing his love to us every single day. The way he greets us when we arrive home, he missed us and is genuinely joyful to see us. The way he cuddles next to us. The way he licks our faces in the morning to wake us up. Not to forget the way he protects us against the evil mailman!
The list goes on and on, it’s the small things that make all the difference in the world. There is never any doubt in my mind, nor any other dog owners mind, that their dogs love them. In return, we love them too, with all our hearts!
My Dog Is Happier Than Me Because He Makes Plenty Of Discoveries
When we humans are born into this world, we start learning through discoveries. To our mom’s great annoyance we eat sand, we stick our fingers between the door hinges, we want to touch every animal and smell every flower.

But when we grow up, things start to loose their interest. We learn not to touch things or taste them with out tongue because we might get hurt or because our mother told us not to.
We loose our exploring nature and our ability to use all our senses to discover the world around us. Things become dull and our ability to sense things fades due to lack of practice.
Muffit is always eager to discover new places! He uses his sight, hearing, sense of smell, touch and taste to examine everything that he encounters!

He sees the world through the eyes of a child, the world is one big wonderful place for him and he is happily spending his time to discover it all!
My Dog Is Happier Than Me Because He Enjoys Plenty Of New Sceneries
We humans tend nowadays to be too preoccupied with our gadgets, cameras, smart phones and laptops to really appreciate a beautiful scenery in front of us!
We sit on the beach, on top of the mountain or in the park, instead of looking at the beautiful scene in front of us, we take pictures to watch them later. Instead of enjoying the sunset by the lake, we concentrate on our social media messages.
When we go on vacation, we tell ourselves that the business cannot survive without us and we spend our days working instead of relaxing!

When we are driving in the car or travel in the train, we sit our faces glued to our e-book readers or game consoles, ignoring the beautiful fields and forests we are passing by.
Muffit doesn’t have any gadgets, well besides the mandatory ID chip he is carrying, nor does he care for any! When we drive with an open roof, he hangs his head out and looks at things passing by, enjoying the wind in his fur.

He stands at the beach staring at the play of the waves and the boats in the horizon. On top of the mountain he stares at the grazing cows and the beautiful clouds.
My Dog Is Happier Than Me Because He Loves Plenty Of Play
Children spend a lot of time playing, alone, together with other kids and with us adults. They are encourages to do it as besides teaching them things, it excites them and makes them happy!
That’s until the school starts. Then little by little, we are told to be adults and everyone knows that adults don’t play. Latest as teenager we stop playing all together due to peer pressure.

We are thought to be ashamed of our playful nature, but deep inside we miss the excitement of playing games! Some seek the excitement of play anyway and seek to escape in video and computer games. Role playing in all forms is popular part time for a lot of us.
It’s also common to find the excitement in sports. The enthusiasts enjoy the adrenaline rush and sense of achievement when they win and disappointment when they loose, either in individual or team activities.
Other seek the excitement in playing poker, casino games or sports gambling and unfortunately for the world peace, some seek out war games.

Muffit simply loves to play. He enjoys the thrill, the excitement, the adrenaline rush and is not afraid or ashamed to show it. He wags his tail and barks in joy. He jumps, he catches, he pulls, he searches and he retrieves.
He play by himself, with other dogs and even other animals. He also specially love play with his humans, tolerating silly things we do to him. He makes every object he can get into his mouth his play thing for our great annoyance.
He invites others to play and is often rewarded by laughter and good mood from his whole pack. Sometimes when he is napping, he seem to be running, he lets our playful yelps and we are sure he’s dreaming of playing an awesome game.
My Dog Is Happier Than Me Because He Explores Plenty Of New Places
Some of us like to travel, explore and experience new places. However most of us prefer to stay home, happy to be within the familiar surroundings, amongst the people we love.

If we travel for business, we keep ourselves occupied with our work and don’t venture out. If we go for holidays, we tend to go to a place where we can meet up with people from the same country and of course eat and drink what we are used to at home. We have become creatures of habit.
Muffit seeks and finds the most incredible things everywhere he goes! Going to new place is his favorite thing in the whole world! Imagine all the new sounds and smells.
Going to new places for him means meeting new people and other dogs! It is the most exciting things for him and he greets everyone eagerly, always happy for some company.

He enjoys the leaves in the forest, the hedgehog he finds in the back of the garden, the bus stop on the walk, the ducks in the pond and the freshly fallen snow is always amazing!
My Dog Is Happier Than Me Because He Takes Plenty Of Time To Do What He Enjoys Most
We humans don’t spend enough time caring for ourselves doing things we truly enjoy. We have to take care of our jobs, our families and all the other responsibilities we have.

We want to take time for ourselves, to do the things we grave to do, but at the same time we feel guilty for doing so. We feel that relaxing and doing what we really want to do is a waste of time and are afraid of the others judging us as self-indulgent.

Muffit, he spends plenty of time doing what ever he wants to do. Let it be playing, sleeping, eating, discovering new things of just chilling out, chasing birds or squirrels, hanging out around us or sitting alone and staring into nothing.
He listens to the commands, but has never surrendered his own free will and does let you know if he is not happy for you interrupting him at his favorite activity! He is in no hurry anywhere, well except to get going for a walk. After all, it’s his life and he knows it.
My Dog Is Happier Than Me Because He Spends Plenty Of Time Being Himself
People always worry about something. Maybe it’s bills that need to be paid, car that needs to be repaired, children who are not doing well at school. Worrying fills most of our lives.

We also spend most of our time to pretend to be something we are not, worried that if people get to know us, they won’t like or accept us. We build walls around ourself to protect ourselves from getting hurt. We only dare to be ourselves when we are alone.
Muffit, he is always being himself. He doesn’t pretend to be a perfect dog just to please you, neither does he hide his love, his hate or any of his other emotions. He wants us to accept him and love him the way he is.

He has a way of balancing things which I admire, he lives in a moment, not worrying about tomorrow. He never seems to be too unhappy, even if he is upset for a moment, little attention gets him back to himself, a lovely and healthy, truly happy dog!
My Dog Shows Me The Way
How much happier will I be, if I learn to live my life according the same philosophy as my dog? I am willing to give it a go, the question is, are you?
ॐ Don’t Worry, Be Happy,
Hello theгe! Wοuld you mind іf I share yoսr blog with
my facebook ɡroup? There’s a lot of people that I think woᥙⅼd really appreciate your content.
Please let me know. Thank you
If the group is health, happiness, lifestyle, yoga, meditation or ayrveda relates, you can do so. If you want to provide me a link to the group, it would be great!
Excellent post! With your permission we are linking to this particularly great post on our website from our website that deal with pets helping depression. You are so right about dogs, they really are amazing creatures, who give give give without asking for much in return.
Hi Kaithlyn, happy to hear that you want to link to my post 🙂 Dogs are absolutely wonderful and their loyalty for us humans know no boundaries. They truly love with all their hearts.
I am completely in love with this dog, although he can act completely crazy sometimes, I am still proud to also call him mine.
Muffman is the first dog I have ever had, because normally I would just avoid other dogs because I was afraid of them. This dog taught me that barking does not mean aggression, it just means that someone is really excited! Reading this article started to make me think that he is truly one bundle of joy, and that he should be an example to many other people.
Thank you for sharing this!
Hi Dorthe,
I know you love him very much and he loves you back at least as much! I still remember your face, when you realized he was going to be ours. He is so happy every time you come home, jumping up and down, while making silly sounds, even if you have been away just for few hours. He protects you and is jealously guarding you against evil hugs and cuddles 😀
It’s good you are no longer afraid of dogs, they can teach us so many valuable life lessons.
You are welcome sweetie, thank you for a lovely comment 🙂
Like it a lot! Makes me think of getting my own dog someday!
If I get a garden or a house of my own.
Wise words to take in: a dog is much more happy than a human.
Maybe if we start to take on lesson each day of a dogs philosophy, we could gradually become much happier in life.
Let’s start with being less stressed about things we can’t control.
Thank you very much leaving a comment Foggie, I am happy you enjoyed my story!
Dogs can teach us so much, they are truly our best friends! I’m on board, we can start today for a happier life.
Hi Muffit! Great to see you featured in the blog post 🙂 We have known you since you were a small puppy and you keep the whole office safe from intruders!
Hi guys! Thank you for taking the time to read my post about Muffit, now get back to work!
great post. I too am a dog lover but never really put as much thought into this as you have. I agree that dogs have that brain that makes life living much easier than us humans have. We should all work on having a life as easy and care free as a canine companions.
Hi Brent! Thank you for your comment 🙂 It is true that our canine friends have so much to give and teach us.
What an inspirational story. I love your use of parallels! I too have had and do have a dog in my life. Molly keeps me grounded and adds so much to my daily like. She is not so much into exercize but loves to play.
I will be returning for more.
Thank you for sharing!
Hi Linda! Thank you so much for your comment! Dogs are such as blessing in our lives 🙂 You are welcome any time!
Muffit says hello to Molly!
What an inspirational article. I never thought about it but once I read your article, yes we should learn from the dog so we can make our life happier.
Thanks for sharing.
Love,
Erna
Hi Erna, thank you for your lovely comment! I am sure that every family can benefit from a dog, but it’s also a big responsibility, so make sure to consider it carefully. Others say dog is for life, I say dog is for eternity!
How wonderful would it be to live life like that! I try some new stuff as often as possible. I realised I was stuck in a routine. Always ordering the same dish at a restaurant, always going to the same restaurant and so on. Now I make a point of going to new places and trying new things. This approach definitely makes things more interesting.
Hi Elmien! It makes our live so much richer when we are willing to try out new things 🙂 I am so happy you have realized this and decided to take action!
A dogs life is a great life in a good family lifestyle.
Wakes up with a smile every day.
Always in support of the family.
Thanks from Tirolith Basset Hounds for a great story.
You are very welcome Tom!
Muffit wags his tail and send greetings to the Tirolith Basset Hounds!
Oh my gosh! Your post made me cry many times over both from sadness and happiness. As a dog rescuer, I have had similar connections with my dogs over the years.
Thank you so much for sharing your wisdom around the intensely loving and happy nature of dogs! What awesome insights! Absolutely beautiful post, thank you for sharing your magic!
Namaste,
Joy
Hi Joy, thank you so much for reading an other one of my stories 🙂 The dogs are emotionally very wise, we should listen to them for more advice about loyalty, love and compassion!
Muffit says hi and you are welcome, he approved with the story!
Namaste
Wow, what an inspiring yet emotional post. Love it!
I currently dont have a dog (not allowed one where I am) but I have in the past and can definitely relate to your post. We can learn so much from them , and their loyalty is so comforting.
Thank yo so much for sharing Muffits’ story, I feel like I know him already.
Cheers
Jo
Hi Jo! Thank you for reading my story. It was very difficult to write as it was so personal, about someone I love so much. Dogs can truly give us so much, they are extremely loving and loyal.
Muffit says hi and you are welcome 😀
Thanks for sharing about you dog. I’m more of a cat person myself but completely relate.
I had my cat for 15 years when suddenly she passed. When I first met her she hissed and snarled at me (this never really went away) it was actually her way of interacting but I knew no family would take her in so I did.
Interesting to note, my wife and I divorced in 2001. We had gotten Sassy (our cat) together but she became mine only 1 year later. My cat died 1 week before my 50th birthday. I bring this up because it was the exact same week that my ex died.
I believe there are attachments between animals and humans, be they dogs, cats or giraffes. To that end it was no surprise to me that this was the way events unfolded even though they hadn’t seen each other in over a decade.
Hi Guy, thank you for you nice comment 🙂
Cats are cool too, just very different from dogs, I had both and love both. Animals become such a big part of our lives without us even noticing it! There is always a great connection between those we love, let them be pets or humans. I am sorry to hear about your ex-wife, may she find peace on her journey.
Oh Hanna, you got me crying again! This is an absolutely amazing story!
Your dog is truly a happy one, you should give yourself more credit for giving him such a wonderful life!
You are so right about the way we humans live our lives unhappily , we have so much to learn from our loyal companions <3
Thank you Diana! I am happy you enjoyed my story, Muffit is indeed a very happy dog and we can learn a lot from him.
Dogs are great, they are our best friends! It’s great to have one! Unfortunately i do not have cause i live in city and i do not have a backyard! Anyway, my mother does have one so my daughter has a contact with animals! Muffit is great dog! Good for you!
Best wishes,
Rebecca!
Hi Rebecca, thank you for your message. Dogs are wonderful indeed, best possible pets for kids. Muffit is a very special dog and we are happy to have him in our lives 🙂
I loved the video and the music! ( what song was that?xD )
You are right we have a lot to learn from a dog, a dog does all the stuff that we are told to do every day,like being ourselves etc..
that’s why they are happier than us!
I love this article,it’s the best I have ever read! I will share it right now!
You have just got another fan today!
Thank you so much Anis, I am happy you liked my article 🙂 The song in the video is Sunshine Reggae from Laidback, one of my favourite songs as it always puts me in good mood 😀
Yes, our dogs can truly show us the way!
Great! Thank you so much! I have shared your posts on Twitter and Facebook! I would share it on other networks too I have found more social buttons! 😀
Hi Anis,
Thank you very much for the share, makes me proud 🙂