Hot Dogs...and a Diet Coke

As many of you may know, I was the proud father of possibly the cutest puppy in the universe, Mr.Charlie Dushenko. I know what you're thinking, everyone says "they have the cutest dog", or "my dog is cuter"...you're all wrong. Charlie is the bomb, the cutest ever. Period. All boasting aside, there's something interesting betweens humans and their pets. It made me wonder who the master really is? This little guy has immense power...he makes you feel great when you look at his furry little face, he encourages you to 'pay attention' when all you want to do is laze about on the couch, and he has the power to love you unconditionally, asking nothing in return except some hugs and doggy kisses (and maybe a treat!).

Wow...if humans could be so enjoyable, there would be less war and insanity in the world. So how can this seemingly simple little creature affect us so much that we become more interested in our health? My amazing client Antonia Zerbisias often comments on how having her pooch Jericho go on power walks with her 3x per day helps her get her cardio done. My amazing client Chris McGrath walks his dog Rosie first thing in the morning, and i'm sure Rosie is part dog, part spiritual advisor. I would say to everyone out there who is planning on getting a dog, it's absolute hell in the beginning, but the reward of this sweet loving bundle of fur makes it all worth it. It's even more worth it when you hear the story of how Misty (cute girl in the pic) and I got Charlie. At some point a year ago, we decided that we should get a dog together, and after some surfing on the web, we found what we thought was a breeder in Burlington, Ontario. When we arrived, the stench of 1000 dogs punched us in the face. We were shown two dogs who were not as advertised on the net, and when we asked if they had other dogs (we could actually hear them in the other room), the lady looked us up and down for a moment and said "Ok wait here...i'll be right back". The suspense! She came back with a box of puppies, all yipping and yapping and jumping around like crazy furry kids. She let them out to run around and play, and the one puppy that sat by himself and chewed on something resembling like a sock, looked up at me with those sweet eyes...it was over. I picked him up, and he didn't make a peep. I showed him to Misty, and it was love at first sight. Again, a testament on the power of this dog. We paid the "breeder" and later learned that it was probably a "puppy mill" that we got Charlie from. It breaks my heart that we couldn't take the whole litter, but we love the guy we got.

Moral of the story? Play with those who make you feel great to be alive, and you will be healthier for it.

Sebastien