There’s never been a time when I haven’t wanted a dog. In fact, when I was six years old, I wanted to BE a dog when I grew up.

And while my love of dogs was never a secret, the idea of getting a family pet never gained much momentum in my house — beyond parakeets and a pair of fire-bellied toads. Every chance I had to spend time with a dog was precious, and, to me, dog owners were the luckiest people on earth.

It would be close to 30 years later before I shared that luck.

Last summer, my husband and I happily decided to take the plunge and begin the Lucky Dog approval process. On a hot Saturday afternoon, we went to a Crystal City adoption event to meet some potential pups.

We had short-listed several we had seen online, having trolled the Lucky Dog website for weeks. But when we arrived at the event, we immediately connected with a black-and-white spotted dog who quickly offered us his belly for rubs. He had arrived the night before the event from South Carolina, and his foster mom introduced him by the name that Lucky Dog gave him: Junior. He was a basset hound/pointer mix, she said, and he got along well with her other dogs.

Twenty minutes later, he was ours. And before we reached the parking lot to go home, we had named him Hugo.

The first several weeks of dog ownership were great fun and surprisingly emotional. Hugo remained as sweet and affectionate as he was the moment we met him — he is content to snuggle next to us (or on top of us) and follows us from room to room. He was also incredibly sensitive and quickly became attached to us.

Hugo’s not perfect though. He gets into the occasional hijinks when we’re away or not looking. He has destroyed or devoured a stuffed alpaca, an entire plate of baklava, and (ugh) my niece’s diaper from the bathroom trash can — just to name a few things. He once famously scarfed down a huge helping of coconut shrimp that my husband made for me after I came home from work late one night. 

No solution is foolproof when it comes to living animals, but the designer of the Busy Buddy Magic Mushroom dog toy deserves a million dollars and a sloppy kiss from yours truly.

But, never once have we considered giving up.

We can’t imagine our lives without Hugo and truly feel like we hit the jackpot in terms of adopting the right dog. He has just the right energy level. He’s wonderful with kids. He charms everyone he meets. He makes our lives richer.

Hugo keeps me outside the house more and at the computer less. He fills our house with the sound of his quiet paw steps and jingling collar. He’s our court jester, nap partner, jogging buddy, guard dog, blood pressure lower-er, space heater, and constant companion.  He is not perfect — but neither are we.

I always knew I wanted a dog, but I never realized exactly how much I would enjoy having one. 

Dan is the proud parent of Lucky Dog alum Hugo (formerly known as Junior). He works for Washington Improv Theater, so when he's not hanging out with his husband and pup, you can find him teaching and performing long-form improv.