An owner's bond with their dog is one of the most amazing things to see.
The bond is subtle, and quiet, but you can see it between owner and dog when you look at them interacting with one another, when you see them reacting to each other in every environment.
For the dog, when their owner is a true companion, they have trust in their owner's reactions and judgment.
You can see that trust in how they come when called, running with a tail wagging and excitement in their step toward you.
They respond to their owner more than others, though a dog with a well established relationship to humans in general will respond to everyone with some degree.
The most heart-touching thing to see is when a dog has concern for their owner, because the dog is so attuned to their owner that they see or feel the sadness their owner does, and understands when they need to be a comforting friend rather than a playful one.
Even more incredible is the bond that a dog creates with their owner that causes them to do heroic acts, like protecting their owner from a mountain lion, fetching help when their owner needs it most, or traveling a city to get back to the person they're missing.
These are rare occurrences, statistically speaking, and they're word-of-mouth stories, but they are the types of stories that raise the hair on your arms and give you chills.
For the owner, that bond can be the most powerful one they have.
The bond with a dog is a different one from a human friend, because dogs make no judgments, and are excellent, undemanding companions.
They have no secrets, other than perhaps where they hid the remote that day.
Most dogs are content to simply spend time with their owners.
Interestingly, homeless people with dogs have some of the most emotionally healthy dogs of all.
This is because they have a bond based on trust and trials of hardship.
They both depend on each other, and the dog has all its emotional needs in the environment and the time spent with its owner in the city.
The person of course also benefits from the companionship that comes with a dog.
An uplifted attitude can bring a lot of benefits to any person.
It is nearly impossible to describe the love between a person and their dog, if it is a true bond.
That true bond is what has caused humans and dogs to have such a long history.
Not everyone has such a bond with even one dog in their life.
Many people go through life without having one, because not everyone has the same level of affection for dogs.
Not everyone wants to have such a bond.
But if you do, it's worth seeking.
Personally, I think it's possible to have more than one true bond with a dog in life, but not all things are equal.
At some point, there will be one, a shining relationship, that outmatches all others.
Then, you will know what a true bond is in the wordless connection between you and your dog.