As a child, I grew up with poodles. My mother, a passionate dog lover, chose that breed for our family. Later in life, when I decided to get a puppy on my own, it was natural for me to get a poodle. That was when I opened my heart and soul to this gorgeous creature I named Alba: Her name means “dawn” in Italian.

Alba was not the kind of puppy who liked to cuddle with me or snuggle in my arms, so we didn’t have an easy beginning. She was distant and I was set in my ways, a bit anal retentive and not sure how to share my space with her. Thinking she didn’t like me I asked Michael, my boyfriend at the time, if he would help out. He offered to take her to his apartment for half the week–a joint custody kind of arrangement. This went on for about two months. Read more