Is It Weird That I Like the Smell of My Dog?

I'll never forget the day I picked up our new puppy. The moment I met him, I knew it was a monumental moment. I was meeting our family's new best friend, a little buddy that would be sharing in our story for the next decade or more.

If I'm being honest, though, the first thought I had when I met our little Lab was, "Ooooh, he kinda smells."

As a rookie dog owner, I had heard about "puppy breath," but I wasn't sure if that was what I was smelling or if it was just the smell of the dog in general.

One of the hesitations I had about getting a dog, and a Labrador in particular, was that I had read online that the breed had a certain scent. Online commentators even said that owners who don't smell their dog have probably been de-scent-isized to the smell. Some even wrote that they were aware of the distinctive scent, but actually liked it.

As I introduced our puppy to seasoned dog owners, I was amazed by how many of them eagerly sucked up Bo's puppy breath. "Ooooooooh, puppy breath!!!!  I miss this so much," they'd say. Nearly all dog owners, both men and women, had some variation of that same reaction. "Enjoy it now, because it goes away!"

"No problem," I thought. It smelled weird to me. Not disgusting, but definitely something foreign to my house.

Today marks three weeks with our little puppy, and the strangest thing has happened over the past three weeks: I have started to actually enjoy the smell of the puppy. It's weird, but I'll think about the smell when I'm at work, and it gives me a warm, fuzzy feeling.

I don't know who I am. I didn't even want this dog, now I'm not only thinking about him at work but fondly remembering his distinct stink?

Dog owners, am I weird?