There are many couples who probably started out by drooling over dog videos on social media, day dreaming about life with a fur ball. They probably thought about how amazing it would be to have a puppy and how happy it would make them and their significant other. Then it finally happens.

When a couple gets a dog together, their relationship changes dramatically. There is so much more happiness and love that comes into the relationship, more than they ever thought could fit into their lives together. But with a new life to care for comes more things to argue about.

They argue about who gets up early in the mornings when the dog has to go to the bathroom. They get woken up in the middle of the night when the dog is sick, having to go through the next day sleepy and grumpy, sometimes taking it out on each other. They fight over who forgot to get the next batch of food, having to run to the store unexpectedly.

They do not always agree on certain ways to raise the dog, but they always figure it out in the end. When a couple raises a dog, it gives room for one to be the parent who babies the dog, and the other to be the tough one, always handing out punishments. Maybe you even find that you could be both. Adding a dog into the relationship changes the dynamics but any couple will be able to figure out their roles in the relationship again.

The little arguments are minuscule to the new love the couple has brought into their lives. Cuddling on the couch to watch a movie has turned into having one extra body on top of each other, sometimes their dog getting mad when they cannot find a spot. Even though the dog is told multiple times to go sleep in their own bed, they will always find their way back, putting himself right in between Mommy and Daddy.

They realize that the best part of their day is waking up with their significant other right next to them and their dog right on top, even if the view is from a rather unattractive angle. The best feeling is coming home from a hard day, being able to be in their S.O.’s arm, and to have a little fur ball eagerly waiting to lay in their lap to lick their problems away. They get to experience so many firsts, like the first swim, the first adventure on stairs, first bath, and their first big jump off of furniture.

Raising a dog can be hard, but having someone to help and share in those memories is what makes it worth it and makes the relationship even stronger. Soon, couple photos turn into endless amounts of videos and selfies of with their dog.

Bath times turn into a two man team, with both couples getting wetter than they had hoped for. Romantic dinners turn into Mommy feeding the dog from under the table and Daddy giving her a stern look, even though she swears she did not give him anything.

The couple constantly finds themselves fighting over their dog’s love, always saying “he loves me more”. When you give a couple a dog, you give them a new foundation for their relationship. You give them more laughter, more smiles, and more memories to be made together. Most importantly, you give them more love in their relationship than they ever thought could be possible.