A Dog’s Life #3: Aka ‘Harriet’s Mum’.
or ‘How owning a dog shifted my entire identity.’
I am Nora Stolz, tech entrepreneur, positive psychology coach for executives and entrepreneurs and Vinyasa Yoga teacher. I live with my 4-month old Cavapoo puppy in Marylebone, Central London. In my column ‘A Dog’s Life’ I write about our urban adventures and what I learn about human interactions and society thanks to my four-legged fur baby.
A Dog’s Life #3: Aka ‘Harriet’s Mum’ or ‘How owning a dog shifted my entire identity.’
I first started to immerse myself in the wonderful world of the human-canine connection, exactly one year ago as I moved into a new flat in this lovely quaint village-style neighbourhood in central London called ‘Marylebone’. I was on track on getting my UK citizenship and decided I am finally ready for the next stage in life: a dog.
I suddenly attracted dog-owners into my circle of acquaintances. Perhaps this was by chance or perhaps it was the ‘Law of Attraction’. Daphne’s Mum, Obi’s Dad and Archie’s Parents came into my life and became friends. On reflection, perhaps the way I stored their phone numbers (‘Daphne’s Mum’, ‘Obi’s Dad’ and ‘Mum of Archie’) in my phone was an indication of what was to come.
The moment you get a dog, your entire universe shifts.
You suddenly have this four-legged bundle you are responsible for. You are trying to figure out a common language, you try to understand their thoughts and emotions to make them feel safe and secure. It is a bit like a baby except that you’ll attract even more attention from strangers — like all the time. In other words, having a dog in London is like a happiness intervention for the local community.
They say one candle can light a hundred candles. I say one puppy can light up the faces of a hundred people.
After Harriet’s arrival in my life on the 30 November 2019 — coinciding with my 12-year London anniversary — I realised that having a dog and walking a dog opens one up to the universe, to endless opportunities to connect with strangers. I started to notice, that when I take Harriet to the park, for walks, to coffeeshops etc — naturally we attract a lot of attention from dog-enthusiasts.
When I say ‘we’, I really mean ‘she’.
This fluffy bundle brings me new connections and friends from all walks of life. Before I had a dog and I met someone new, I felt a lot of new connections were focusing on the who | what | when. (Who are you? What can you do for me? And how quickly do I get a return on this conversation?). But thanks to Harriet, I have very little of these conversations anymore and enjoy much more interesting, genuine and human conversations. And the funny thing, they all start with a completely different question:
‘What’s your dog’s name?’
You are what your dog is.
When you have a dog and you meet strangers, no one is trying to check out if you can do something for them anymore — where you are at in the corporate food chain. They don’t really care — even if you are the most influential person in the neighbourhood. but you first and foremost connect because you have a common passion: the love and appreciation of dogs. In a world where a lot of us identify and quantify success by measures that please our ego — that is one of the most refreshing aspect of having a dog.
Only two months of dog parenthood in, a lot of people in Marylebone seem to know my fur baby Harriet, and I estimate that a max. of 5% of these people actually know who I am or what I do. And I don’t even mind, how refreshing is that. We greet each other, exchange pleasantries and thoughts about the dog(s), how fabulous the neighbourhood is. And then get on with our day, but with a bounce in our step and a smile on our faces. Until the next encounter.
Some form of celebrity dog.
I have strangers asking me on the street ‘Is this Harriet?’ — like she is some form of celebrity dog. When we go into Daunts Bookstore on Marylebone High Street the staff gets excited because Harriet is back. We made friends in other places too. The employees at the Chiltern Firehouse get excited every time we come, they take photos on their phones and even ask me if they can take her for a walk around the block as I am sipping a cocktail in the swanky bar inside.
Every morning in our local coffeeshop — the Boxcar — Harriet is greeted with so much love, affection and plenty of ear ruffles as if the Queen walks in. She gets superstar treatment e v e r y w h e r e. Even the shisha place towards Paddington Gardens knows Harriet. Being a total stranger to the shisha culture, ‘knowing’ her means that they shout out when I walk past: ‘hello, beautiful dog’.
I looked into the mirror and decided it’s time for the official re-brand
Next time someone asks me the who | what questions I will answer with confidence: I am Harriet’s Mum and our mission is to make London a happier place.
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Get in touch!
‘Happiness Coaching with Harriet’ A powerful employee engagement activity, an effective 1:1 stress reducer in just 15 min and also works as burnout prevention method. Available for groups, 1:1 and bespoke offer for top executives too. Feel free to reach out to me if you are interested in finding out more.
RESEARCH: Currently looking for five executives (C-suite) who like to take part in a research study. Time commitment 15 min daily or weekly (depending on travel). London Mayfair, Marylebone or Fitzrovia as base location.
(e) hello@norastolz.com
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Originally published on LinkedIn linkedin.com/in/norastolz
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/dogs-life-3-aka-harriets-mum-nora-stolz/
