Around 7 or 8 years ago, the daughter of a very good friend of ours started dating a new boy.
And I am using the term ‘boy’ loosely here.
He was 15 years older than her. She was in her early 20’s, he was in his mid 30’s.
Her parents were not too happy, but he seemed like a nice enough guy, and as time went on, they became more and more fond of him.
We’ve been friends for a very long time, and the daughter was practically raised at my house.
So, of course, the new couple was included in all of our festivities.
Sundays by the pool, birthday parties, random summer evening dinners, and holidays.
Every year on Christmas day, everyone piles over to my house for what starts out as a nice, refined holiday get-together, and ends up looking something like a frat party.
I typically fall into bed at 4 AM while the ‘kids’ are still playing games at the dining room table.
So, our (rest in peace) old Lab took a SERIOUS dislike to the boyfriend.
He would growl, bark, sneer at him every time he saw him.
At first, everyone thought it was sort of funny.
If you know Labs, they are extremely friendly and tend to love anyone who pets their head or sneaks them a snack under the table.
But, the dislike continued, and it sort of became a running joke.
Even when they got married (the wedding was beautiful and I was honored to be asked to go wedding dress shopping), our Lab did not like him any better.
One Christmas, as we all piled around the table to play a game, Coop, our Lab, kept getting seriously close to the guy, really snarling, and for the one and only time in his life, I thought he was going to bite someone.
It got so bad, I asked my son to go ahead and take Coop into another room and keep him away for the time being.
My husband and I were puzzled.
For all intents and purposes, this young man seemed to love his wife, was 100% respectful to my entire family and everyone else, and had a jovial nature, never failed to thank us for our hospitality, and got along with everyone.
Not long ago, they got a divorce.
Turns out, this ‘guy’ had a previous life, that included several wives, a bunch of kids, and some shady behaviors that his wife (our friend’s daughter) knew absolutely nothing about.
When it came to light, she threw him out and immediately started divorce proceedings.
Do you know who knew this all along? The dog.
Bill Murray once said, “I don’t trust people that don’t like dogs. But I trust a dog if it doesn’t like a person.”
Don’t be afraid to trust your gut, your dog, or your heart when it comes to everything and anything.
Especially the dog.
#resumewriting
#trustyourgut
#dogsoflinkedin
