I love my dog. I know this because I am one of the millions of Americans who make going to the pet store an event. I take my dog along, of course. I buy gourmet doggy biscuits, and the best in collars and accessories. My beagle, Duncan, has ceramic feeding dishes and a wagon filled with toys. He has a sweater for when it is chilly, and a coat for when it snows.

And although I am a little over the edge when it comes to Duncan, I know that as much as I love him, I love others more – my son, my family and my friends. Lately, however, I have paused to wonder if there are some people whose sole love relationship exists between them and their pets.

On a recent pet store excursion, Duncan and I were followed into the store by a very large man in his late 50s. He was carrying a small terrier. In a quiet voice he whispered, “Daddy loves his little baby. And because you are a good puppy, we are going into the store to buy you dog food and a toy. Would you like a new ball? Yes, you would. And when we get home, we will play and play.”

As funny as this was, I dared not laugh, as I’ve been guilty of having that same kind of conversation with Duncan. But I couldn’t help but wonder if this same man had little talks like that with his wife or kids.

The next day I found myself walking into the grocery store, followed again by a rather large, but younger man. This one had a very fidgety, pouty-looking 5-year-old boy in tow. The dad’s conversation went something like this, “I am telling you right now, don’t ask for a thing. I just have to pick up a couple things and then we are out of here. Your mother always does this to me. All I want to do is get in and out of here. Do you understand me?” It was obvious that the boy understood very well.

So I wondered if this man had a dog. And what kind of conversations he had with his dog when he went to the pet store. And I wondered if the conversation that the first man at the pet store had with his dog had been the one between father and son, how differently the little boy might have reacted. “Come on, son, we need to get a few things in the store. And because you are such a good boy, how about while we are here, we find something you would like, too. I love you, son, and I am glad we can spend this little bit of time together.”

In the 1962 movie “If a Man Answers,” Sandra Dee’s character discovers that her parents’ perfect marriage was made possible because her mother learned how to treat her father by using a dog-training guide. Her mother reiterated that many women treat their pets better than they treat their husbands. And pets never leave, while many men do.

But why do we go to these extremes for our dogs?

Maybe it is because they love us unconditionally. Maybe because when we walk in the door, they jump up and down, wag their tales and treat us as though life was not worth living while we were away; even if that was five minutes or five hours.

They don’t care less for us if we are tired, or having a bad hair day. They are ready to play when we want to play: and they will come to our defense against anything they perceive to be a threat. They instinctively know when we are sad; and they respond to the mere sound of our voice. Who else in our lives does all of this, all the time?

But maybe that’s because we don’t tell the humans in our lives all those little things we tell our pets. Should we say more often, “Daddy loves you and we are going to play and play?” Maybe we should run to the door when our spouse walks in. Maybe we should defend our friends against anything we perceive to be a threat. And maybe we should approach each person we meet with the love and affection we show our dogs.

I love my dog, and I have told him and showed him that today. I must remember today to do the same for all the other living things in my life. And maybe they will do the same for me.

-- Mary Grace Musuneggi is the Senior Partner of The Musuneggi Financial Group, a financial consulting firm, and Executive Director of Single Steps Strategies, a life planning program for women.