I have the perfect dog.

You may think you do, but no, sorry to tell you this, I really do.

I made a list once of all the things I wanted and didn’t want in a dog and amazingly, Max came into my life and fit my requirements perfectly! How did this happen? You can read all about that in my post The Perfect Family Dog, but today I am just feeling grateful for this furry member of my family.

Max goes everywhere with us. Any road trip we go on, Max is right there with us. Wherever we are in the house, there’s Max. He even snuggles up with one of us to sleep at night. I would prefer not to have him on the bed, but he’s warm and comfortable, and at least he’s not a large dog. He goes for walks with us and keeps guard over us all. He’s especially protective of his kids.

Joyful Dog

Max is a joy to have around. He encourages us to be active and playful and to see the little joys in life. He doesn’t ask for much and he’s always thrilled to see any of us. Where else can you get that kind of devotion and affection?

Family

What non-dog owners may never understand is that a dog is not just a pet. Dogs weave their little (or big) lives into our hearts and we come to love them as part of the family. Losing a beloved dog hurts as much as losing any other member of our family. Our dog is part of our lives and part of our hearts. I don’t have two kids, I have three. Actually I have five, because my two cats are included.

Understanding this, we of course want our dogs to live the longest, healthiest lives possible. Just as we feed our kids healthy foods and take precautions to keep our kids safe and healthy, we do the same for Max. He gets his regular check-ups with the veterinarian and we keep him up to date on his dog immunizations. We give him medicines he needs, such as heart worm and flea and tick preventatives. These are all necessary for his health and I don’t see them as optional, just as I wouldn’t skip out on medicines and care my children need.

Today’s post is a part of the Insider’s Program on Bloggy Moms. All opinions are my own.

Did you know dogs can get sick just like humans?

If you heard of a new flu strain that spread to every human that came in close contact, you’d probably want to learn about it, right? And take steps to prevent it in your family? Human flu is seasonal, but the dog flu virus, can hit any time of year. A new strain of this flu, H3N2 emerged in 2015 and has been infecting dogs as recent as an outbreak in Chicago earlier this year. Dogs have no natural immunity to this and all dogs are susceptible, regardless of age.

Know the Signs

Common signs of dog flu are coughing, fever, sneezing, ocular discharge and lethargy. If your dog is showing these signs, keep them away from all other animals in your home or out and call your vet. By the time these symptoms are noticed, dog flu has most likely spread to other dogs. Dog flu spreads quickly. Learn more about how dog flu is spread here. Prevention is the best step you can take.

Prevention of Dog Flu

The best thing to do is to protect against the risk of dog flu all together through vaccination.

Download Merk Animal Health and The Dogist’s If This Dog Could Talk: Tour to Prevent Dog Flu album to learn more about how you can protect your dog. Download the full tour album here.

If This Dog Could Talk is a project with Merck Animal Health to raise awareness of the dog flu, in partnership with the renowned photo-documentary series creator, The Dogist.

This post is sponsored by MERCK ANIMAL HEALTH through the Bloggy Moms Network, all opinions are my own.