One thing I know for sure, my Shetland sheepdogs were one of the most important parts of my own recovery after my divorce.  Their endless loyalty and love saved me at a time when I had lost faith in other forms of love.

The moment my ex and I decided to give up and get a divorce, my very next words were, “OK then, I get the dogs!”

I knew I could live without my ex, but certainly NOT my dogs!

As it turned out, my ex and I shared the dogs a number of years after our divorce, and that worked out pretty well.  But when they were quite old, and going blind, I decided the best thing for them was to not change homes anymore.  That’s when I was finally able to tell my ex to go away, permanently.

New research shows dogs do truly register “love” in their brains.  Last night on the ABC News, they had a research report that shows how dogs react to different stimuli during a brain scan, the first pictures of an active dog’s brain!

This research has proven that dogs are capable of complex communications, and their brains do react to specific hand signs.  They are now looking at how dogs process human information, and feel they have proven that dogs do have the capacity to love.

Like I needed a study to prove this to me!  I have always been an animal person, and most of my life have preferred the company of animals to humans.  Their extreme loyalty, their ability to sense when I’m feeling down, and their efforts to show me love exactly when I need it, never ceases to astound me!

Now I have a small Shih-tzu (the Chinese word shīzi 獅子) or “Chinese Temple dog” whom I love to distraction.  He sits on my lap as I write this…

My new and improved husband may disagree, but I think Rasta is the PERFECT small pet!