A boy and his dog

Chillin' with my buddy
London, ON
April 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

There are a lot of amazing things about dogs, but the one that stands out for me is how they can have unique relationships with each of us.

To wit: Calli and our youngest son, Noah. She's normally not the easiest dog to get close to. She'll growl if she thinks you're crowding her space. Or simply disappear beneath the dining room table when she doesn't want to go outside.

Except when Noah's around.

She responds to him. Allows him to hold her as you see here. Goes completely chill with him when, if it were anyone else, she'd be bouncing off the walls.

I can't explain how any of this works beyond the fact that she sees something in him, and he connects with her in ways no one else can.

The funny thing is, she has other "uniques" with each of our kids: our eldest son, Zach, and our daughter-in-law Michaela, our daughter, Dahlia, and her boyfriend, Josh, and Noah's girlfriend, Katie. Calli responds to each of them as if there's no one else in the world who matters more to her at that moment.

Some among us think dogs are simple. Stupid, even. They couldn't be more wrong. And connecting in this way, at this level, with a being whose language isn't English, is one of those little - or maybe not-so-little - blessings that comes along with welcoming a dog into the family.

I don't even want to imagine what life without her would be like. For Noah and for all of us.

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