One of the best parts of coming home, outside of seeing my husband of course, is getting to see my fur babies after a long day at work. They always get so excited and are so happy when I walk through the door. Their tails are thumping frantically and they are trying their hardest to get rubs from me. It’s amazing just how much love and affection dogs can show their owners.

I dread holidays like the 4th of July, Memorial Day, and New Year’s Eve because, despite being joyful occasions for some, they tend to be rather stressful for my dogs, Nala and Sasha. They, like many dogs, have a fear of extremely loud noises like fireworks, gunshots, and thunder. I feel sorry for how upset they get, especially since the noise is typically out of our control.