On Dogs

Tell us a little about your current dog: how did you come to get him? What’s the backstory?

The dog I currently have is Uzi. We got him because we had another dog named Kobe, and he got really lonely because we had another dog before him named Rexy—and he passed away. [Kobe] was all by himself in the house, and my parents and I decided to go and rescue a puppy, so he could have a playmate. We found Uzi on this organization in Atlanta called Angels Among Us. He is a rescue, who was in foster care when we first found him; we went in for an application and his foster mom gave him the name Sig, which is also the name of a gun. So when we wanted to name him, we basically had the names of guns in our heads . . . and, well, my Dad is Israeli and thought Uzi would be a great name, because he gave all of our dogs Israeli names. That is the genesis of his name! He has been with us for about two and a half years now. We think he’s a mix of a corgi and a dachshund. When we got him, they thought he was already around eight years old, so he’s already somewhat of an older dog . . . but he’s still healthy and happy!

​

 

Had your family always been “a dog family”—or dog friendly? What was the impetus for getting a dog in the first place?

We got our first dog I was in the first grade, and I’d been asking my parents for one for a very, very long time (as had my brother). Interestingly, my Dad was initially really against it. When he was young and growing up in Israel he was bitten by a rabid dog . . . so he has kind of been scarred, even though he was an Army Commando for many years. He’s always been apprehensive around dogs. But eventually he changed his mind, and on July 4, actually, we got our first dog—Rexy, who was a chocolate lab. So, since first grade, when I was 7, we’ve had dogs in the house, and now I’m 23.

​

 

What’s your favorite memory with all of your dogs?

I think one of my favorite memories would have to be with Rexy. Our neighborhood is very close to a river in Georgia—the Chattahoochee River—and it’s very polluted and gross. But it’s also very fast-moving. There are quite a bit of rapids. My Dad was playing fetch with Rexy in the neighborhood park and the ball went into the water. Rexy went straight for it, and at the time, I thought he was gone . . . I thought he was going to drown. My Mom and I started crying and were watching him. And he was just unbelievable. He swam back and fought the rapid, and he was very young at that point. It was just a very emotional experience, but ever since then he’s been playing in the water and has been fine. It was definitely a heart attack moment though.

 

Another moment that has really stuck with me was when I had hip surgery. I couldn’t sleep in my room because I couldn’t get up the stairs—so I was down on the main floor for some time. I guess my dogs knew that something was wrong, so Kobe and Uzi would sleep with me downstairs on the first floor the entire time I was recovering until I was able to go upstairs again. They could just sense that something was wrong and were just incredibly sweet in helping me out.

 

 

What’s one thing that you know today that you wouldn’t have known without your dogs?

Being around a dog—or at least petting an animal—is incredibly therapeutic. How it changes your mood is like night and day. Whenever I come home I’m in such a better mood because they are there . . . and willing to be pet every day. It really makes me feel so much better, and is uplifting. I wouldn’t have guessed that a pet would be such a therapeutic thing to have in my life.

​

 

What has your relationship with dogs taught you? What has your dog given you?

In an interesting way, I think my relationships with my dogs has made me believe in the idea that ignorance is bliss. I look at my dog and, say, give him a treat or take him on a walk and he’s just so incredibly happy. And that’s all he needs in life. Sometimes I wonder, if I was a dog and I couldn’t understand what people were saying or couldn’t read or different have other obligations in life—all I had to worry about was eating and sleeping and walking—and I could be this happy and make someone else so happy . . . it seems like a pretty good deal.

 

Also, I think by having a dog, you develop a stronger sense of empathy. I can’t quite explain why that is—but I think you increase your capacity to empathize with people when you have a dog. Having that minimum requirement to take care of someone or something . . . just naturally translates into other aspects of your life.

​

 

What would you say to someone that was contemplating getting a dog—or someone who was dog-skeptical? What would your pitch be?

Well, first I would say that there’s definitely a lot of responsibility—it’s not a walk in the park. But, I think the emotional benefits and the newfound purpose that you have and feel with a dog makes it all worth it. It teaches you a lot of life lessons and it prepares you for the future when you have to take care of other people. It’s great practice in empathy and makes you feel so much better . . . you just become so much happier. All of the work and money that you put into a dog yield so many intangible benefits. I think it’s absolutely worth it.

​

​