This is an I-Heart podcast.

And we continue with our American stories.

Up next, we have a piece from one of our regular contributors, Stephen

Reciniac. This story is entitled Harry, My First Born. To read this story and its backstory,

visit stepheniac.com. Here's Stephen.

This is a story about a time when my wife Karen and I welcomed into our family a precious little bundle of joy, who happened to have floppy ears, a snout, four legs, in a tail.

But first, I suppose that a small confession is in order before I share my story.

There was once a time when I held a less than flattering opinion of a certain kind of dog

owner, and I'm sure that you have seen them before, too. At first glance, they might appear to be perfectly normal, but upon closer inspection,

any previously held opinion pertaining to their alleged normalcy quickly disappears.

Watching the interaction between a two species for a moment, and it becomes readily apparent that the

collared creature tethered to the business end of the leash is much more than just the family

pet.

Study them for a little while longer, and you may even witness this goofy dog owner walking,

talking, and sometimes even wearing the same matching sweater as Fifi, Fido, Rover, or Rex.

Now, as far as I'm concerned, no further evidence is needed before concluding that the two-legged

snoutless half of this fashionably matching

pair somehow believes that this four-legged creature is there not quite human and very hairy little

offspring. And let's be real, I know fully well that acting as though in treating your pet as if it were your child is just

weird, right? Well, at least that's what I used to think until the day an adorable little

puppy came into my life and suddenly I learned just how little I knew about

canine relationships. So, Karen and I had the perfect recipe for our life together as husband and wife.

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