狗狗讓我變得更優秀

I never had a dog. Never wanted one. As an allergy kid, my only pet was a cricket, occupying a little bamboo cage a family friend had brought from Japan. My most memorable childhood encounter with a dog was a yappy mutt next door to my elementary school that chased me around the playground and bit my leg. I've been afraid of them ever since.

我從未養過狗，也不想養。我有過敏症，所以小時候唯一的寵物就是板球，它靜靜的躺在一位朋友從日本帶回來的小竹籠中。童年時代，小學附近的一隻小狗令我記憶頗深。它經常在操場上追着我，咬我的腿。自那以後，我見狗就怕。

In my doomed starter marriage, we were at that point when most couples get a dog as a trial balloon for kids. We could only commit to goldfish. One morning I found ours flopping on the floor half-way to the window. Making a break for it, like I would a couple of years later.

我有一段註定失敗的'閃婚'經歷，我和前妻一度試圖養狗以作爲養寶寶的前奏，畢竟大多數情侶都是這麼做的。但我們最終只是養了金魚。一天早晨，我發現金魚躺在地板上，離窗戶還剩一半的距離。逃跑吧，像幾年後的我一樣。

What followed was two decades of dogless bliss. I met my current wife, Ilene, who, among other lovable qualities, was dogless. Then we moved from New York to Los Angeles, to a block infested with dogs and before long our 10-year-old, Kingsley, was yearning for one of his own.

之後，我過了20年沒有狗的幸福生活。我遇到了現任妻子伊琳。我覺得她最可愛的一點就是不養狗。隨後，我們從紐約搬到了洛杉磯一個滿是狗狗的街區，不久之後，10歲的兒子金斯利就想自己養條狗了。

"Imagine me frolicking in our backyard with my own puppy!" he pleaded: "One boy, one dog, one destiny . . . ." I wanted a new kitchen floor.

"想象一下我和自家狗狗在後院開心玩鬧的場景嘛！"他請求道，"一個小男孩兒、一隻狗狗、一輩子……"我還想給廚房換新的地板呢，我暗自思忖道。

However, I became a dog person overnight. Far from being afraid of them, I take Laffy on doggie playdates and to a muddy city park where a random group of owners show up to throw balls.

然而，一夜之間我成了愛狗人士。我再也不怕狗了，而且還養了一隻叫做"拉菲"的狗狗。我會帶它去泥濘的城市公園和一羣養狗人士聚在一起，陪它玩扔球的遊戲。

Not random, actually. A community. That I was now a part of. That made me happy.

這並非隨心所欲，這是一個團體。我現在就是其中的一份子，我很高興。

In my toxic-bachelor days, my nickname was "Mr. Warmth," but I didn't realize how closed off I still was, even as a happily-married family guy. Like, I used to talk to my neighbors when and if I had to. Now I stop them in the street - if they're holding a leash. Because Laffy wants to be pals with everyone.

在往事不堪回首的單身歲月中，我的外號是"暖男"，但我並沒有意識到我的封閉程度，甚至在結婚之後（幸福美滿），我都沒有意識到這一點。比如，我只有在必要的時候纔會和鄰居聊聊天。現在，如果我在街道上看到他們拿着狗繩，我就會走過去和他們閒聊幾句。因爲拉菲喜歡和所有人交朋友！

When he let me into his big heart, he got me to open up mine. Ilene said, "It took a dog to make you human." As usual, she's right. Would it be crazy to get two?

狗狗讓我'住'進了它的內心，它讓我變得更爲開放。伊琳說："狗狗讓你更有人情味兒了。"如往常一樣，她說對了。現在我還想再養一隻，是不是太瘋狂了？