Emma, the cat’s best friend

“I was without a dog, and so I needed another dog.

When you’re retired it gets you out of the house.

I got Emma at Animal Haven.

She is my fifth dog since I’ve been in New York.

Dogs bring joy, companionship and energy into my life.

Personally, one of the advantages of having dogs, is that I have gotten to meet more people.

Emma is our kid. My wife and I never could have children. This is our surrogate child.

The dog is also company for the cat. I get more attention from the dog, my wife gets more attention from the cat.

We had a dog one time that saved our lives. He let us know about a gas leak in the house. He nudged at us while we were asleep until we woke up. We smelled the gas as soon as we woke up. He was a hero.

I gave the dog before Emma back to the Humane Society.

He was bipolar. He would be loving me one moment, and attacking me the next. I even brought in a dog behaviorist, at $160.00 a session. I worked with the dog for four months. I could never tell when he was going to turn on someone. He couldn’t be trusted. He was a liability. I hated to give him back, but if he bit someone I could lose my retirement fund. Someone might have sued.

We waited a few months and went online and found Emma at Animal Haven.

Having Emma has been a positive experience. I think she’s the happiest dog I’ve ever had.

And, the cat likes her, too.”