The Dog Test

Back when I was in college, there was a guy that I had a pretty big crush on.  I'd waited for months, hoping that he would ask me out.  I'd even invited him to lunch once, but he turned me down.  We had a lot of friends in common and most weekends found our group hanging out together and going out to eat at a local restaurant we liked.  Finally, after eight months and four days, he did ask me out.  Our first date was on Valentine's Day.

I lived at my dad's house at that time, but I asked him to meet me at my mom's house because it was in town and closer to where all the restaurants and theatres were.  My mom had a little Shetland Sheepdog named Sable.  Sable was rather unsociable.  In fact, I don't think there was anyone that she liked outside of our immediate family.  When people came over to visit, she either hid behind my mom and growled and barked, or sat in my lap and growled under her breath.  No matter how friendly or unassuming a person was, Sable would have nothing to do with them.

The night of our date arrived.  Valentine's Day was on a Saturday and it was being celebrated by a lot of people.  We had plans to go to a favorite restaurant and my date showed up a little early.  He chatted with my mom and to everyone's great surprise, Sable was standing beside the chair where he sat, letting him scratch her back.  He sat comfortably talking with my mom and before too long, Sable had forced her way into his lap, curled up against his chest and was gazing into his eyes adoringly.  We left for our date an hour late, but Sable and my mom were completely charmed by him.

That first Valentine's Day date was a great one and it turned into many more.  We'd been going out almost every weekend for a couple of months before he took me down to meet his family.  I had no idea we were going to go see them that weekend until we were in the car on our way down there.  I'm not sure which of us was more nervous. 

I learned later that I passed "The M and M Test" with flying colors.  The first M was my boyfriend's little brother, who was five years old at the time.  My date and M were very close and M had even been taught by his older brother to ask girls in the toy store for their phone numbers.  It turns out that having a cute little brother can be a big help to a college guy.  The second M was Mimi, a little schnauzer mix who adored  my boyfriend with a devotion that is hard to imagine.  It seems that in order for anyone to date any of the three older members of the family, they had to get along with both of the two Ms.  The whole first year we were dating, I don't think I ever sat on the couch beside my boyfriend.  I sat between the two Ms.

After college, my boyfriend asked me to marry him, and one day in June, he became Mr. Taleteller.  I look back and find it funny that we both had a good idea about each other from our dogs.  I can't imagine being married to someone who didn't want to share our lives with dogs.  I also consider myself lucky that I married such a great guy.  I don't know if dogs always judge people the best way, but so far, mine have always been right.  I'm sure glad I passed that test!  Several Greyhounds and a German Shepherd have been lucky that we met and fell in love, too. 

How do all of you feel about dogs and the people you date, befriend or marry?  Does your dog's opinion of people influence your decisions?  Have you ever been sorry that you did or didn't listen to your dog?