For her birthday my wife, Julie wanted to get a dog. We had to part with our old German Shorthair Pointer a number of years ago, but he was a great dog. So Julie really wanted to get another Pointer like our old dog, Huck. In mid-August we got a three-month-old German Shorthair Pointer and named him Finn, to keep with our “Mark Twain” theme of dog names. Here is a picture of him.
Finn, our new dog, seems to love everyone and thinks everyone who passes our house is there to see him. He simply can’t understand when people don’t stop and pet him. But plenty of people do stop and pet him. I am convinced the best way to meet people is to have a dog. People love to stop and ask about our new dog and tell us the story of their dog or what they had and how hard it was to put the dog down when that time came.
We had started to get to know a broader section of our neighbors this summer but getting a dog has accelerated that process. We have gotten to know our extended neighbors, especially the ones who are fellow dog owners.
For some reason because we have Finn, the conversation flows with these fellow dog owners. The conversations get around to what I do and I tell them I’m the pastor of the church that just built the building at Engler and Jonathan Carver Parkway. Most people say, “I watched that building go up over the last year. So you guys are open now?” I say yes and invite them to come and see the inside. Then they usually tell me about their spiritual background, where they go to church, why they don’t go to church and everything in between. I’m amazed how much you can get to know about people when you have a dog. A simple invitation that even works sometimes. When I walked through our neighborhood without a dog I didn’t get into many conversations at all. But with a dog the conversations increase dramatically.
I’m not saying everyone should get a dog but if you have one use the dog to get to know your neighbors! They will talk to you if you are walking your dog. Just remember a plastic bag!