The narrator drives home from work in a bad mood due to traffic, but their mood is lightened by the excited greeting from their two dogs, Luke and Max. The dogs jump on the narrator, licking their face and showing pure joy at their arrival home. This makes the narrator think about things from the dogs' perspective - their mere presence makes the dogs' day, and they don't complain like humans do. The narrator wishes they could hold no grudges or bad moods and feel as happy and excited to see someone they love, like the dogs do. The narrator's bad mood disappears, and they play with the dogs in the yard before taking them to the dog park, realizing little

1. A Change in Perspective
How a dog’s joy can brighten your day
By Corinne Sanders Best Friends Magazine
Word Count: 535
I drove home from work that day tired and irritated. Getting stuck in traffic as
usual, I muttered curses at my fellow drivers, weaving in and out of the dummies that
seemed to think paying attention to anything but the road was the best thing to do behind
the wheel. I finally got off on my freeway exit, mumbling about Utah drivers. The sun
was setting, soft shades of orange and pink coloring the west horizon, but the beauty did
nothing to lighten my mood.
I finally pulled into my driveway, hearing the crunch of gravel beneath my car’s
tires. As soon as the chirp from my car remote lock sounded off, a chorus of excited
barks sounded from my back door.
“It’s just me,” I grumbled.
The gate to the backyard squeaked as I pulled it open and headed toward the back
door. Luke, my black Labrador, and Max, my Golden Retriever, had both jumped up on
the inside of the door, their paws resting on the pane of glass above the door handle. As
soon as they recognized me they started barking even more excitedly and rapidly, Luke’s
a high pitch mixed with the deep bark from Max. I finally got the door unlocked, my ears
ringing from all the barking. They jumped all over me, licking my face, leaning against
me and then barreling off into the backyard. Their pure joy at seeing me finally lightened
my mood, and I began to think of things from their perspectives. My mere presence
made their day, and they hadn’t complained about how long they had waited for me, like
I was complaining in my thoughts about work and traffic. They showed nothing but
happiness, and at that moment I wished I could be more like them. To hold no grudges or

2. A Change in Perspective
How a dog’s joy can brighten your day
By Corinne Sanders Best Friends Magazine
Word Count: 535
bad moods, and feel that happy and excited when I see someone I love. They had such
unbridled joy.
Suddenly my long day at work and drive home didn’t matter anymore. What
mattered to me in that moment were my sweet dogs and keeping them happy. I chased
after them in the yard, giggling as they dodged away from me, their paws hitting the dirt
and sounding like horses galloping. I wanted to return the favor they had given me by
showing me that my love for them was all they needed to be happy.
“Who wants to go to Dog Park?” I asked them, grinning at how excited I knew
they would get. Though it would be dark soon, I knew the park well and had a flashlight.
They cocked their heads to the side and Luke squealed in delight. I ran inside to
grab their leashes and then the three of us dashed to the car.
There are so many little things that we let get to us in our daily lives. If we could
ignore these things and just be content to be alive, we could get to that happy place that
dogs already know well. Whenever I start to get annoyed with little things, I’ll remember
my happy dogs running around the backyard just because I came home and I know it will
bring a smile to my face.