Dog love confessional

So you may be wondering what my chosen profession of public relations has to do with dogs, especially for someone like me who tried to hide her dog "weirdness" from everyone. That was simply impossible, sort of like a smoker trying to hide the fact that they just had a cigarette. The smell of smoke always lingers on smokers, just like my love of dogs would inevitably come up in my conversations.  
I quickly learned that public relations is not measured solely by the news stories and interviews I generated for my clients. Sure, I still get clients lots of media exposure but public relations is much more than that... being a good listener was just as important as my monthly media results. And what did most clients speak to me about? Dogs.

This phenomenon began with the director of public relations at Cedars Sinai Medical Center. During our lunch meetings, he would tell me in great detail about his dalmatian. Although the dog had died years before the two of us met, when Carl talked about his four legged friend, it was as though the canine was waiting for him to return home from work.
Carl was a long distance runner. He waxed sentimentally about the spotted dog who ran along side him for miles and miles. The dog was his running buddy and he never forgot that. I think I was one of the only people Carl could confess his dog love to. Carl would even have tears in his eyes remembering that dog.
I tentatively began talking about dogs with other clients and found that the majority of them had stories to tell about their beloved pooches. When others were discussing children, I was there to hear about four legged family members.  It didn't take long for me to become known as "the dog pr person." Years later, I would take a leap of faith and focus my pr efforts on products and services in the pet industry.