Here's something I wasn't prepared for when we got Sami: I would develop an entire parallel social life based exclusively on the fact that we both own dogs.
I now have friends whose actual names I don't know. I know their dogs' names. I know their dogs' health issues, dietary preferences, and behavioral quirks. I know that Luna's dad is going through a divorce because he told me last Tuesday while our dogs were chasing each other. I know that the Beagle's mom just got promoted. I offered congratulations. She said thanks. Neither of us has ever learned the other's name.
This is the dog parent social contract. You share intimate life details with strangers in a park, then nod politely when you see each other at the grocery store and say absolutely nothing.
My wife finds this hilarious. She says I've built a support group without realizing it. Maybe she's right. There's something oddly honest about a friendship that exists only because two animals decided to sniff each other one morning. No pretense. No LinkedIn. No "we should grab lunch sometime" that neither person means.
Just two people standing in a park, watching their dogs do something stupid, and laughing about it.
If you have one of these accidental friendships, you know exactly what I'm talking about. If you don't - give it a month. Your dog will introduce you.
Bobby
P.S. If you're curious how old your dog actually is (and no, the "multiply by 7" thing isn't real), I built a calculator that does the real math: mydogturns.com