When Never Had, Never Missed. When Had, Always Missed!

You all are probably wondering what you would not miss when you never had it but miss when you have had it. Let me hint...warm, furry, slimy, wiggly, always hungry. If you didn't get it yet, I am talking about "Man's Best Friend" or the domestic dog.

My first dog Big Ben

Those who have never had the experience of owning a dog do not realize what they are missing. Those who have had a dog before usually find it hard to go back to not having a dog. If you are a dog-lover, you know exactly what I am talking about. Dogs are permanent friends, who are always ready to greet you when you come home, cuddle with you when you watch a movie or read a book, go for a run with you, or even just make you laugh.

In spite of all the benefits, dogs are also a huge responsibility. They need their exercise, food, and training. Dog owners cannot just leave somewhere whenever they want to; they first have to make sure their dog is taken care of. Therefore, usually people put a lot of thought and research in before purchasing. When talking about dogs, the full customer decision-making process is generally followed, beginning with a need/want/problem and progressing to info search, evaluation, purchase, and post purchase (Angell lecture slide 36, 9/7/16). However, this is not always the case and then the full value received from the dog may turn out to be negative due to failure on the purchaser's side to realize the commitment involved. The sad result may be that the dog gets dumped into an animal shelter. The value received is the benefits minus the efforts involved (Babin, CB7, Exhibit 2.3). The benefits of owning a dog can be experiential, social, or functional (Angell lecture slide 10, 9/12/16). Studies show that owning a pet comes with health benefits, such as lower cholesterol, lower blood pressure, and fewer heart attacks and that pets reduce stress and provide relaxation. It is also shown that dogs boost one's self-confidence and interpersonal skills. More interesting advantages of having a dog can be found here and here. Some efforts that would have to be put in are time, money, patience, and opportunities.

Diving into more details about the decision-making process, the purchase usually starts out with a need, want, or problem. Some people want dogs to just be companions; others utilize dogs to fulfill some purpose, such as farm help, protection, security, or physical help. The pictures below show how dogs can serve in so many areas. I believe that the reason dogs are called "Man's Best Friend" is because of the high hedonic and high utilitarian value they create (Babin, CB7, Exhibit 2.2). In my mind, this is not the case with any other animal. Dogs attach emotionally to their owners and create happiness and purpose in their owner's lives. If that is not enough already, they are always ready to serve beside their owners, whether that be in the police force, the military, with special needs patients, and so many more areas. This is exactly where the title of my blog comes from ("When Never Had, Never Missed. When Had, Always Missed!). The best experiences include high hedonic and high utilitarian values (Angell lecture slide 25, 9/12/16) . Those who have dogs usually have great experiences with their four-legged friends for those reasons and, therefore, would always want to have a dog around.

Dogs can create high levels of hedonic and utilitarian values*

I am what you could call a passionate dog person. I will be the person who has to bend down to pet every single dog I see and play with it. Currently, I have a Great Dane puppy that is 6 months old; but he is already more than half my height, weighs about 100 pounds, and has paws bigger than my fists. For me, my dogs have always given me high hedonic and high utilitarian value. After a long day of school or work, coming home to have my dog greet me with a wagging tale and excitement never ceases to relax me and make me forget about my worries. I love going for walks or runs with my dog, exploring new places and going on adventures; my dog is what gets me out and going. Driving with the windows fully down with a dog by your side and music playing - if you have never experienced this, you have no idea what you are missing!