The picture of modern living is painted with the colors of awful busy schedules, stressful situations and loveless life. Loveless, not because you have no love in your life but because when you want to feel loved, you are often alone in the house with your wife scheduled to be back from office an hour and a half later. Work stress makes you crave for the loving warmth even more, and since you get none of it, it adds to the stress and makes the things worse. But wait, there is hope. In fact, a lot of it.

Have a look around, the hope is standing right in front of you, wagging its tail with its mouth wide open and tongue hanging out. He is happy and smiling to have you back home, and wants to climb up in your lap and give you a great, after-office face wash with its tongue. Did you guess what is it? Yes, you guessed it right. That's your dog.

Pets are doubtlessly a great company, for they breathe exuberance in the atmosphere and enliven even the dullest households. It is a proven fact that pets are among the greatest stress busters. So, if there is anything that can undo all the shouting that your boss gave you, it's your dog. One of the many reasons why they are effective stress busters is that they have no stress of their own unless, of course, you leave your German Shepherd alone at home for a very long time. In any case, they will always be genuinely and visibly happy to have you back. Nothing works better in relieving stress than having someone welcome you so gaily.

If it would have been like old times, going to a friend could help, but it is no longer that simple. If you go to a friend to off load yourself, in all likelihood, he would have his own set of load to put off. And you both will end up not off loading yourselves but exchanging loads. True, your dog needs to be taken care of, but it doubles the care and gives it back to you. Now, can you think of a better payback?  
   
They are avid listeners and are not bored even if you keep speaking to them for hours. And, yes, they won't butt in to offer their suggestions like your friends do. And once you are finished with your talk, you'll get a big doggy hug, too.

Breeds that you can choose from
They come in different shapes and sizes, and look and behave very differently. The only thing common across all breeds is the unconditional love and unfettered loyalty. Some of the most popular dog breeds are:
 
German Shepherd:
Also known as 'Alsatians'. These are impressive animals with strong, proportioned bodies and can be all black, sable, or tan and black. However, their noses are always black. Originally bred as herding dogs, German Shepherds are hard working, loyal, vigilant and extremely intelligent. They are not very forthcoming and tend to be reserved. One needs to win their adoration, but once you gain their trust and affection, it remains forever. Their astounding capacity to learn can leave one agape. They love being around their families and do not behave kindly with the strangers. They are very protective and bark only when necessary.

They absolutely hate being left alone for long. They are not aggressive, and any aggressive trait found in them is attributable to poor breeding, careless handling and improper training. It is important to train these dogs, for they are easy to train and they adapt to surroundings easily, and are particularly good with kids. While training, one needs to be firm but loving, for coercive measures or anger doesn't work well with them.

German Shepherds, being intelligent, alert and hardworking, are often very useful as police dogs, sniffers, search dogs and guard dogs. Catching a drug peddler, spotting an intruder, detecting a gas leak and finding missing persons is cakewalk for them due their keen sense of smell. They are well suited to urban living but need quite a bit of space around. The life expectancy of a German Shepherd is around 13 years. It is quite reassuring to have a German Shepherd around. No wonder then that Rex, The Wonder Dog (DC comics) is a white German Shepherd endowed with extraordinary abilities that make it a super dog.

Labrador Retrievers:
They are among the most popular dogs in the world, and going by the ownership registers, they are the single most popular breed in the United States and the United Kingdom. They are extremely intelligent, affectionate and obedient. They come in a number of solid colors like yellow, cream, fawn, gold, black and chocolate. They are strong, very active and easy to train, and respond very well to praise and affection. They are able retrievers, hunters, tracker, and rescuers. They are wonderful as family pets because of their natural affection and patience with children.

Labradors need human attention and affection. To them, sense of belonging to the family is very important. Again, like German Shepherds, they too don't like being left alone for long hours. Hardworking, playful and energetic, they love working hard and playing hard. They are strong swimmers too. They are loyal and reliable and are great watchdogs. The life expectancy for Labradors is approximately 10 to 12 years.

Doberman Pinschers:
Commonly called just 'Doberman', they are powerful, very active and at times ferocious. With short, hard and thick hair, they are usually black, tan and black, blue-gray, red and fawn. They are not quite as affectionate as the Labradors, and can be aggressive. They are fearless, energetic, very agile and very alert. However, they must not be left alone with children and must always be kept on close watch when children are around. Dobermans are too active to be confined in a small apartment. They need space to run around, play and exercise. Their life expectancy is up to 15 years.

 Rottweiler:
Reputed to be a strong and ferocious dog, Rottweiler is often trained to become an attack dog. They are not ferocious attackers by nature though, and make great pets, provided they are treated with the right mix of attention and discipline. A well brought up Rottweiler can be a loyal, playful and sweet dog. They are mostly black and tan. A Rottweiler is calm and courageous, and is affectionate enough to follow you around in the house. They are fiercely protective and can defend a family like a wall.

They would not allow strangers around and the same goes for other animals too. Some of them are good with children while the others are not. So, if you have young children at home, you should reconsider your decision of bringing home a Rottweiler. Not that they are acrimonious towards children, its just that some of them do not take very kindly to the rough treatment of a child. However, many of them have also been found to be very tolerant with kids.

Bulldog:
Despite their compact muscular bodies and ferocious looks, Bulldogs or English Bulldogs are completely reliable and extremely gentle with children, which makes them good house pets.

Pomeranian:
This is the toy dog variety. They are little, smart dogs who are avid learners, but are sometimes very temperamental. They are good watchdogs, for they would bark out at anything unfamiliar. However, they are a little too moody for the families with little kids, for they tend to be snappy at times. With older children they are very playful and nice. 

Dogs are not just protectors, the are also great companions and have been found to be great relievers for stress too. So, go ahead, there is a great variety of them to choose from.