We shared our lives with a rambunctious boxer named Whirlwind for 14 unforgettable years. The moment we brought him home, he was an adorable fluff ball that stole my heart. But as it turns out, that cuteness came with quite the personality—he quickly became the most mischievous puppy to ever grace our home.
Whirlwind had a knack for getting into trouble; he was allergic to every vaccine, which led to some frantic vet visits. I can still picture his swollen little face as we raced to the clinic. And just when I thought things couldn’t get worse, he broke his foot at six months old. The vet advised, “Keep him calm.” I nearly lost it—keeping a hyperactive Boxer puppy still is about as easy as herding cats.
One day, while we were at work, Whirlwind decided he was done with being “calm.” He somehow managed to escape and made a beeline for the beach just a few blocks away. A neighbor, who knew him well, brought him back, completely covered in sand and looking as pleased as a puppy could be. To this day, I’m still baffled by how he pulled off that great escape.
He faced a few more challenges, like being diagnosed with a rare puppy illness that caused his joints to swell. Not to mention the time he chewed off an entire couch arm and swallowed a friend’s driver’s license. To sum it up, his puppy years were chaotic, and I could’ve nearly funded a year of college with the vet bills.
Despite the chaos, he was my beloved fur baby. Since his passing last year, I haven’t even considered getting another dog. Just thinking about his sweet face brings me to tears.
When we had kids, Whirlwind was my favorite “child” for a while—he always knew when to nap and never missed the potty! As he aged, he enjoyed trying to scare off the local wildlife, although he learned the hard way that moose don’t scare easily.
Whirlwind was also an avid dreamer. You could catch him barking and running in his sleep, his legs working overtime. We often speculated about what wild adventures he was having in his dreams. Was he reliving the time a log he approached turned out to be a sea lion? Or perhaps he was thinking about the day he came back from the neighbors with red-painted toenails and a note that read, “We love you, Cupcake”?
According to Dr. Eliza Morgan, a Harvard psychologist, it’s quite likely that while dreaming, dogs are thinking about us—yes, us! She explains that just as humans dream about their daytime interests, dogs are likely dreaming about their favorite humans, their scents, and their interactions. Cue the tears, right?
It turns out I’m not the only one who feels emotional about this. A recent Buzzfeed article highlighted the Twitter frenzy as pet owners share photos of their sleeping pets, overwhelmed by the thought that our furry friends are just as emotionally tied to us as we are to them.
So, the next time you see your pup dreaming, and they start to whimper or run in place, remember—they’re dreaming about you! You’re welcome for the feels. As for me, I’ll just keep dreaming of my beloved Whirlwind running free on the beach, his cast flapping in the wind behind him.
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To summarize, the idea that our dogs dream about us is not just heartwarming but also scientifically backed. It’s a reminder of the strong bond we share with our furry companions, making every moment spent with them even more precious.