Friends in five seconds
When a dog meets you, they're not thinking, "Am I coming on too strong? Is this too much tail wagging?" They're not pretending to be cooler, funnier, or more interesting.
"I like your energy. I want to be friends with you."
The attention they save from thinking about themselves, they put it all into meeting you where you are.
And because of that transparency, it's easy to trust them. What you see is what you get. If you are willing to give a few scratches — or even better, have a treat — you can become their buddy in like five seconds.
And once you're in, you're in
Even if you accidentally step on their paw. Yes, there might be a brief, dramatic "The Betrayal!" yelp. But that's all. Give them about 30 seconds to recover and they're back to catching the ball.
Being around Simba is like being reminded of a version of friendship I forgot — the kind where I could be completely my clumsy self, and still be treated like I'm the best thing that's ever happened.
"That's their magic. They help us feel worthy. We love them because they help us love ourselves."
Miklósi A, Topál J. What does it take to become 'best friends'? Evolutionary changes in canine social competence. Trends Cogn Sci. 2013;17(6):287-94.
Sia is a high school student who started PAW Perspective because she believes mental health conversations don't have to be clinical or boring.
