Being human ain’t all that. In the nearly four years I’ve spent with my canine, I’ve discovered that she’s a far better person than me. Here’s how.

Dogs never judge.

They don’t care how ugly or fat you are. They couldn’t care less about gender, race, financial status, sexual preference, or whether you’re missing a leg or two. They do not see our deficits. That love handle you’ve been obsessing about? Yeah, whatever. Dogs only think about the important things in life: food, playing, social interaction, sleep and cuddle times.

Dogs never lie.

Those dogs playing poker posters are ridiculous since dogs are tied with human children for the worst poker faces in history.

Their emotions and thoughts are written all over their faces. If the face isn’t enough of a clue, look at their ears and tails. All of their little thoughts are written right there if you’re paying attention.

They don’t care about the superficial.

You know up there when I said that dogs don’t care how ugly, fat or how many limbs you have? Well, the same goes for themselves and other dogs. My dog has never in her whole life thought she wasn’t thin, pretty or smart enough. She has never worried that her hair is frizzy or her teeth are crooked. It doesn’t matter to her what kind of car we drive or how nice our house is. Dogs see right through the fluff and look at the person or dog within.

They appreciate the little things.

Most of the things humans worry about don’t apply to dogs. They don’t have the same problems we do. Because they are unencumbered by material goods, even the slightest treat is super exciting.

My dog’s favorite toy is an empty water bottle. We leave them around the house like an Easter egg hunt and she’s so happy when she finds them. Her favorite time of day is sticking her head out the window on the way to the dog park. Her favorite way to sleep is with a paw draped over me. That’s all it takes to make her happy. That’s it.

They are incredibly grateful.

Dogs don’t take anything for granted. They have routines and schedules, and would really quite like to have dinner now if that would be alright, but they don’t expect things. They don’t assume that just because they exist and we allow them in our houses, that dinner will always be there. They get excited whenever we come home, because they weren’t entirely sure that we would.

They don’t let fear stop them.

When dogs encounter something unknown, their first reaction might be to either bark at it or to cower, but eventually, curiosity will get the better of them. They confront their fears head on and usually get over it. They don’t wallow in fear and they don’t let it stop them (unless we’re talking about fireworks. My dog is still terrified of fireworks, probably because she can’t confront them. They’re just awful big noise to her and you can’t confront that.).

They’re free.

Obviously, unless we’re talking about wild or feral dogs, dogs aren’t free in the sense that they can come and go as they please, but dogs are free in a way that most humans aren’t. They’re not worried about money, who’s going to be the next president or what dastardly grunt work their boss is going to foist on them today. They don’t worry about nonsense like that.

They do not yearn for material possessions beyond the minimum needed for survival or entertainment. If we all decided to kick our dogs out, they’d get by. They’d survive. They’d find a way.

They live joyously.

Dogs get sad, angry, annoyed, anxious, scared, and plenty of other human emotions, but they experience way more joy on a daily basis than humans. They are joyous when we get home, when they’re fed or given a new toy, when they go for a walk or a ride in the car, when they see people or other dogs. Dogs live in the moment. They don’t worry about retirement plans or Christmas vacation. For dogs, it’s all about now and you. Every day is an adventure and they never, ever forget that.