Before I start this blog I want to suggest checking out these blog posts.
Aki – A Free Fellow
Journey of Discovery with Aki

As you have probably guessed this post is about our pet dog – Aki.

I never had a pet growing up in India. In fact we were told to be careful of dogs as there are so many stray dogs. And then when I met Adam he told me his stories of his pet Ollie who seemed like a fun dog – sassy. He loved to give Adam a hard time and that resonates with me. Slowly, I started warming up to the idea of having a dog. And when we moved to Columbus or US in general which is super dog friendly – we decided to go ahead and take the plunge and get a dog.

While we were waiting to Aki to reach the twelve weeks mark, so that he could come to our house I remember telling Adam that I cannot imagine having a pet/anyone who will be with us 24 hours – always in the house. And now after almost 18 months with Aki it is hard to imagine the house without him.

We recently made a trip to Ashville – a charming quaint town. And we had no issues taking Aki with us everywhere – there are top eating places/cafes which are dog friendly. You have to be ok with eating outside but apart from that it’s not an issue at all. Most places have a dog bowl – most people in US have a pet or have had a pet.

Aki usually turns quite a few heads – he is just so good looking. I can say that as I cannot take any credit for his good looks. But with that comes the ease of conversations with strangers. We have had all sorts of people come and speak to us because a) they want to know what kind of a dog Aki is b) they want to compliment on what a good looking dog he is c) they just want to pet him d) they cannot resist his cuteness and are drawn to him.

We have had a waiter from a Restaurant, Construction worker, Cafe owner, Kids, old ladies, police officers to name a few who have spoken to us. This makes life easier for me. Believe it or not I do find it awkward to strike up conversations with strangers. With Aki there is none of that – you get straight to the point. In fact people recognized us in Ashville because of Aki. We had gone to check out a dog store where the owner looked at Aki and said, “you guys were at Babnahm (tasty Mediterranean eating place). I saw your shiba there.”

A lot of my friends/Family in other countries like Australia/UK/India/Switzerland etc.. are surprised when we tell them that there are doggy day cares, dog friendly parks, self-wash for dogs and outdoor/patio seating. Of course, it does mean that we haven’t seen the inside of a restaurant in ages but it’s worth it. The simple acceptance/ trust you get from your pet is priceless!

I have not posted much photos of Aki in this blog because I could not decide which one – Here’s the link to his instagram page: Iamluckyaki