My wife and I met eight years ago. We were a part of the same social circle. She was still in college and we would see each other occasionally during parties or dinners. Once, a few of us were to meet at her apartment and that was when the romance began. I was fashionably late as always and as I was entering the flat, greeting everybody inside, I heard someone making way through the crowd going straight towards me. It was a plump, snow white Maltese dog named Luna. She barked aggressively until she got my attention and as I reached down to pet her it became obvious a new love was being born.

Oh yeah, I conquered the heart of my wife's dog long before I got her to fall in love with me. More surprisingly, that dog really got to me as well. I never owned one while growing up and I wasn't at all prepared for the emotional connection you can get from these animals. Over the coming years, Luna became a part of our lives even though she lives with my in-laws most of the time. Today, she’s in poor health and the years are starting the catch up with her, but she still gets excited when she sees me. As for me, I still can’t resist smiling every time I see that happy little fur ball.

Dogs have that ability. They can get you to forget about your problems and simply enjoy the affection they are so eager to give. That’s a powerful thing, especially in this day and age. Perhaps that’s why the trend of owning dogs is on the rise in Dubrovnik. Even more, it seems adopting shelter dogs is more and more popular as well, which makes me especially happy. This is largely due to some very dedicated individuals in and around Dubrovnik that managed to make the public aware of the problems of shelter dogs over the years.

As the idea for writing about this came to me the other day while I was patiently scraping dog poo off the sole of my shoe, I can honestly say I would be even happier if the trend of picking up after one's pet would also grow stronger in our fair city. It seems not everyone realises these are living beings that require care and dedication. Let's hope we will one day learn to take care of our dogs as well as they take care of us.

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Bozidar Jukic is a Dubrovnik local with too many interests to name them all, with writing being at the very top of the list. He is a lover of good food, music and film, and a firm believer in the healing power of laughter. His professional orientation is towards tourism and travel so it comes as no surprise he spends most of his time alongside Mrs. Jukic running their own local tour company. Their goal is helping travellers from all over the world get a more intimate experience of Dubrovnik and what it has to offer. To find out more about their work, visit their website or Facebook page.
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