One of the things I love most about dogs is the way they bring people together. Last weekend, my fiance and I were delighted to host two of our friends from Germany during their last few days of a two-week trip to California. To celebrate their stay, we invited our parents over for a traditional American barbecue, complete with hotdogs, hamburgers and apple pie. My fiance’s parents brought their Standard Poodle, Molly.
Our German friend Andy is a big dog lover, but his wife, Ute, is a little hesitant about dogs. She likes them, but not having grown up with them, she is somewhat intimidated (especially by large dogs), so she prefers to admire them from afar.
Of course, the one person Molly couldn’t stay away from that night was Ute. In the beginning, Ute was timid with the big Poodle, but as the evening wore on, she became more and more comfortable, and when the time came for Molly to leave, Ute even gave the dog a goodbye pat on the head, which was a big step for her.
Molly made more than one new friend that evening – she seemed to win over my parents with her friendly attitude, well-behaved demeanor and playful antics.
One thing’s for sure: There’s never a dull moment when a dog is around.