Nolan is an animal lover.  Upon returning home, there are two big topics he continues to talk about — 1) his “coming home” party and 2) getting a dog.  Personally, I am not ready for another dog, I still miss Gonzo dearly and my heart still hurts.  I’ve been thinking a lot about how to allow Nolan to embrace his love for animals without getting a dog of our own and I’m still trying to figure it out — while in Tokyo, I am across a really cool concept. Let me introduce you to Dog Heart.

Dog Heart is a dog cafe offering two primary services. You can enter the cafe for 30 to 60 mins and play with all the puppies and dogs — or — you can rent a dog for 3o to 60 mins and take them for a walk. What a great idea! You get all the joys of walking and playing with a dog, without the actual responsibility of owning a dog!

I know this seems like a crazy idea, but I knew Nolan would love, love, love it. It was a bit of a train ride, but after explaining our plan for the day Nolan was very excited. After our train ride and a short walk to Dog Heart, we decided to rent Ellie, a 3-year old beagle, for 1-hour. We were given all the supplies and treats we would need for our walk and directed to the park just up the street.

There are times when Nolan gives a fake smile in photos and frankly he doesn’t want his picture take these days, but on this particular day, he was all about the photos and his smile is priceless.