I feel the exact same way about my yorkies! I've always had pets, and while I loved them dearly, they were pets. But these guys are like my children. I even go out of my way to find words for them other than "dog." I don't like calling them "dogs." There's nothing wrong with the word and that's what they are, but it just has a connotation to it that doesn't fit my babies, my kiddos, my gang, my crew, my brats, my group, my children......
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He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion. -- Author Unknown