A Boy and His Dog This painting of my dad as a boy is one of my favorites 20 At almost anytime of the day you can find my dad sitting next to his dog. My father learned to love animals from his parents. Grandma and Grandpa always had a cute little dog that was like a member of the family. My dad was an only child. My mom had three brothers and never owned a dog. My moms parents would never have let an animal into the house. So my parents were raised with very different views about dogs! Yet now in their older age both of my parents consider their dogs to be part of their family.