Erin & Oliver

Human: Erin
Canine: Oliver
Location: San Francisco
Together since: 2004
Type: Chow-chow mix

My daughters and I were scouring pictures of adoptable dogs online when we spotted Oliver. His almost maniacally happy mug just screamed "Hi, I'm Oliver. I am ready to be loved!" We laughed at the image, but found ourselves going back to it over and over again because of the jolt it gave us.

A couple of weeks later, we made the long trip out to Davis, California to bring Oliver home. It was not love at first sight and it took us all a few weeks to adjust. It turned out that Oliver had been unlucky in love and we were his third family in his short one or two years of life.

He was sweet, but initially wary of getting too close. He was also a bit wild, evidently having never been trained. But as one wise friend pointed out, "You can't train for sweet," a characteristic that Oliver had in spades.

Those days seem long ago as now Oliver is truly a part of the family. He is as loyal as the day is long, and never leaves my side if he can help it.

Got a good story? Send us your own How we met. Email editor@dogtime.com--and be sure to include a photo of you and your dog.

Are you ready for a dog?
Meet your match on DogTime's MatchUp.