Look at that little face. That's my dog, Leela. She's the sweetest girl you'll ever meet, and she's resting her head on my foot and napping as I type this.

When Leela came into my life as a puppy, I wasn't ready for a dog. I was a mess emotionally and working from pre-dawn to past sundown. The anxiety was eating me alive.

I care for a disabled family member, and she needed someone to keep her company when I was at work. She adopted/rescued this tiny little thing who fit in the palm of my hand and wasn't expected to live more than a month. It's been over four years, and Leela is so full of life and love. She's always excited to see me, and playing fetch or tug-o-war with her helps me deal with stress and anxiety. Even just watching a movie with her napping in my lap can melt all the problems away.

Aaron Savage, Townsquare Media
Aaron Savage, Townsquare Media
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I can't imagine giving her up for anything, especially a stupid smartphone. Imagine my shock (though I guess I shouldn't have been surprised) when I came across a recent survey that showed that 40% of people would gladly be separated from the dog for a month rather than have to part from their phone for that long.

The folks at SimpleTexting.com surveyed 1,000 Americans from all walks of life to gauge just how in love people are with their phones.

40% of respondents said they'd rather be separated from their dog for a month than be separated from their phone.

40%.

That is just insane to me. I know there are irresponsible humans who don't do right by their dogs, so I would have expected maybe 10% max.

40%.

That just breaks my heart.

We all have times when we become so distracted by what's happening on our phones that we tune out the real world. I'm just as guilty as anyone. However, I'm fortunate that Leela hates my phone. If she's near me and I'm staring at it, she puts her snout over the screen and pushes it down to get pets. It's her way of reminding me that there are more important things than winning that Facebook argument or watching garbage on YouTube.

Aaron Savage, Townsquare Media
Aaron Savage, Townsquare Media
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I wasn't shocked by the other findings from the SimpleTexting.com survey. Some people were willing to part from their significant other, alcohol, coffee, or even sex rather than lose their phone for a month. Yeah that's sad, but not surprising.

The thought of giving up my best friend for the sake of staring at my phone, though? That's just too much.

Check out the full survey results at SimpleTexting.com. Do you agree with any of the sacrifices people would be willing to make to keep their phones? Would you ever give up your dog for your phone?

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