After an exhausting day of work, you finally arrive at home and open the door. As if he knew you exactly what time you would return, there is your puppy – wagging his tail, smiling, and jumping all over you. It doesn’t matter whether you’ve been gone 20 minutes or two weeks; your pup acts like you’ve been missing for an eternity! Honestly, what is better than coming home to your  dog?

Here at BulbHead, we are celebrating National Dog Day. What would we do without our lovable animals that make us feel so special? Today we share stories about our furbabies and why we love them.

“Lexi (left, 11) and Nico (right, 9) grew up together and are best friends. While big brothers are usually always protective of their little sisters, Lexi is the dominant figure and will protect Nico at all costs. She loves her big brother and will stop at nothing to make sure he's ok. As for Nico, he's a bit shy, but he loves to cuddle (and, I'll take that any day of the week.)” – Phil

“I've always wanted a bulldog and spend hours, days, months and years scouring adoption sites. I filled out several applications but never got a call. Finally, I gave up and moved on but like most relationships, that's when I found love :) I received a call from my sister that someone at the barn (my niece rides horses) was giving away their bullie. I immediately offered to take him but soon found out that he was sent to live in Florida with the owner's family. UGH! Love had escaped me again.

Several weeks later, I received another call asking if I was still interested. Apparently, Charlie couldn't handle the heat in Florida (duh! He's an English Bulldog). I waited with bated breath for 5 days for them to ship him back to me (not literally on a ship - he came in a van) and it was love at first sight!” - Alison

“I adopted my kitty, Luna, in January of this year. I decided my other cat, Atlas, needed to have a playmate while I was at work because he seemed really bored. She's been a great addition to my house and they are best friends.

I got her from the local animal shelter, and she was nine months old. She was in a little cage asleep, and I asked if I could see her because I think black cats are so pretty. When they took her out of the cage, I sat on the floor, scooped her up into my lap, and she curled right up and purred, like she was right at home. Luna is either super playful or super sleepy, there's no in between! She likes to wake me up when she thinks its time to play, and that's usually around 4 in the morning. She likes to eat everything and if I don't watch my food on the table, she'll steal a bite. Whenever I'm sitting down she has to be either right next to me or on my lap, she's very snuggly. No matter what I'm doing, she follows me around. She's a really sweet, happy kitty.” - Aimee 

“This is Atlas! He is 5 years old and he is the best. He is like a little old man in cat form. He's really cranky and obsessed with dinnertime. He's constantly begging. If he could eat all day, he would. I actually have to hide his food and treats because he can break into them. He loves to sleep and hang out in the windowsill. He was really mad when I got Luna because he is spoiled rotten and thinks he's the only cat in the universe.

He would growl and swipe his paw at her, but now he loves her and they play together all the time. Atlas follows me around too but he's not so obviously affectionate. He'll make sure he's always in the same room as me but he'll face another direction. He loves me but he doesn't want me to know it.” – Aimee again (she loves her cats!)

“It's just two letters: TJ. He just turned two years old. Initially, when my brother brought home a pitbull, my whole family was terrified...they have a miserable reputation! Fortunately, that reputation could not be further from the truth. TJ is the sweetest, most cuddly, playful, loyal, and loving puppy.

He is so human! He jumps up on the chair at our dinner table, thinking he is going to sit and eat dinner with us. Although he’s nearly 80 pounds, he acts like a small dog. He will just plop into my lap like a lapdog, as though I’ll be perfectly able to handle his big bum. Even though he’s big, he couldn’t hurt a fly. One time, TJ found a wounded bird in our backyard. Being the incredible dog he is, he went over to the bird, and started gently pushing the bird with his nose, trying to help the bird fly again. It was the sweetest thing.” – Sunny

“I adopted Charlotte when she was four or five months old. She was shy. Her brother was at the shelter in a neighboring crate and he was very energetic...and had that iconic Little Rascals 'Petey' bulls-eye. Of course, he was adopted straight away. When I took Charlotte out of her crate, she spread her limbs around my shoulders...and then...I heard her make a deep sigh. (Once they sigh, you know.) And she was always mine...ever after.” – Rachel

“I'd like to introduce you to my dog, Maggie. She's a Havanese and is turning 11 years old next week. My family adopted her from a shelter located in Connecticut, and we got her when she was only 6 weeks old! She was really tiny at the time, and we used to crawl on our hands and knees looking for her whenever she got lost in our house. I almost felt like a dog myself crawling around looking for her!

She always craves attention and is the type of dog that is always by your side, through good times and bad times. As a very intelligent dog, she does several tricks and is highly obedient. Most of the time when I walk her around my neighborhood, I don't even use a leash! Recently, she's been joining me when I binge watch Netflix sometimes on the weekends. She's starting to become a Netflix addict like I am!” – Jared

“This is Diesel. I adopted him about 7 years ago from a Bulldog Rescue organization. He was given away twice. When given the opportunity, he is a very bad bulldog! He once got loose on a farm and invaded a large hanger filled with hundreds of chickens. He went right to the back where the feed was and we had to go get him. The chickens went wild!

Another time, he got into my (deer proof) tomato garden, ate all the tomatoes, then got stuck and barked his head off until I got him out. A third time, he escaped my apartment while my neighbors and I were having dinner. We finally realized he was missing. Since we all leave our doors unlocked, we found him next door enjoying bag of pancake mix on my neighbors’ rug. The room was cloudy with the mix. Being a bulldog, he has no regrets! And I have no regrets that he is my darling!” - Lynn

We sure love our pets, and we hope you celebrate yours today, too. If you don't have an adorable little one yet, there are many in need of a home. Please consider adopting a pet from your local shelter and making him part of your home and your heart. Happy National Dog Day!