The Secret Truths of a Man and His Dog

How many times have you laughed when you’ve seen a person either pushing an old dog around in a baby carriage or coddled a wee pooch in a baby sling? Or wondered about how a clearly starving homeless man could beg for food, only to give it to his beloved dog with no regard for his own condition?

No one can argue that there’s any better way to receive endless, unconditional love. Dogs don’t care if you’re fat, thin, old, young, beautiful or not, they just love you. Period. And they bring out the best in us all, flawed as we are. It’s a proven fact that even hardened criminals can turn into loving, caring human beings when they’re given dogs of their very own in jail.

And here’s a fact for guys out there: no matter how put together you think you are or how hot you think you look, nothing positively imprints you more in a woman’s eyes than how you interact with and treat your dogs, who rely completely on you for existence. You are that dog’s food source, safety and shelter, and the way you care for this being is more than likely how you’ll similarly care for the woman in your life.

Did you ever notice how women gravitate towards a man walking his dog in the park? “Fido” is a chick magnet because he gives women an automatic excuse to approach you whether you look like Brad Pitt or Woody Allen. The fact that you own a dog and are taking time to keep him healthy is a real draw to a lot of women. It shows you’re responsible and caring.

Dogs also help people stay healthy. Research shows that dog owners are generally calmer with lower blood pressure, less stress and better cholesterol levels than non-dog owners.

And it goes beyond that. A man’s bond with his dog, if he’s the right kind of man, is one-of-a-kind and irreplaceable. My husband Mike and I had a rescue bulldog, Boris, for five years. He made our childless lives fuller and happier than it already was—something we couldn’t have imagined. And when we had to put him down, it was the only time I ever saw my husband weep. As much I think as if we had had our own children and lost one of them. And this is a man who is 6’3” with a linebacker’s build and Barry White’s voice. And that love never ends or diminishes. Our new rescue bulldog, Sherman, is the lucky recipient of it now. And he returns it in spades. If he could be strapped to Mike’s chest 24/7, it would be so. It is true love, this bond, and you won’t know it until you have it for yourself.

So, chick magnet or not, get out there and rescue a dog or two. Not to say it’s not a huge responsibility, but it’s so worth it. It’s worth that unconditional love. You’ll be happier-and healthier-for it.