A Whole New (Dog) World

When Josh and I were deciding on getting a dog, we would pore over books and videos to try and figure out what breed to get and what to do with our puppy when we finally find him. I would spend hours upon hours online researching and nothing could have prepared us for what was to come. Neither one of us had ever been around a dog much less own one. If anything, in the end we were bought too much to prepare for the new addition to our family. What we did not expect however was the overwhelming amount of attention and support that we received after becoming doggy parents. Besides the fact that every stranger that saw Shio melted at the sight of a wobbly puppy walking down the block, we met so many people in our apartment building who opened up to us the moment that saw Shio. He became an ice breaker for conversations, giving us an opportunity to meet many fantastic people in our neighborhood.

I've chatted with a friend (a fellow dog owner of course!) about the phenomenon of meeting all these extraordinary and kind people and she easily said, "Well if you own a dog and take good care of him, you're already a half decent human being." Ain't that the truth.

I'd like to see a book or article about this for a new dog owner!