You had me at woof: How dogs taught me the secrets of happiness is an autobiography written by Julie Klam.

Julie Klam wrote about her experiences as a dog owner and rescuer. Before she had just gotten her first job at the age of 30, she was lonely and certain that she would never find the love of her life.

When Julie had a dream about a Boston terrier, she saw this as a sign to get her life together, and she decided to get a Boston terrier named Otto. She treated Otto like her child. She started to become more independent and confident, then she found her husband and later on having a child.

Once Julie had gotten Otto, she was spending most of her time loving and caring for him. He then started teaching her life lessons. When Julie started going out for walks, she began feeling confident and soon realized what a relationship felt like.
Julie said, "Having Otto taught me about the give-and-take that is needed to succeed in a relationship. He gave me the courage to try things and the feeling that there was someone waiting for me."

Julie believed that Otto had made her more independent and courageous. Creating for her to try new things, get out of the house, and be more active. With Otto's help in Julie's life, she started to date, soon finding her current husband and having her kid.

When Julie was pregnant with her daughter, Otto died. It was unexpected.

"When I realized he was gone, I was despondent, breathless, and broken. There was such an immense black hole within me that I worried it would hurt my unborn child. I sat staring into space for long periods of time trying to connect to Otto and find out if he was planning on being reincarnated."

Throughout the whole book, Julie never forgot Otto, no matter how many dogs she rescued and owned. She believed that Otto had gone to doggie heaven and the that Otto would be reincarnated as another Boston terrier. With Otto gone, it showed the impact that Otto had made on Julie's life.

I can strongly relate to Otto dying and how Julie had felt. Over the summer, my family and I were on a trip and had asked my grandma to watch over our dog, Patch. One day we got a call from her saying that Patch was happily running around the yard and just decided to lay down. But she didn't get up. Patch was only 11 and was still very active. To my family it had felt just like there was a black hole around us because all my life I remembered having her there by my side.

Once Otto died, Julie began rescuing dogs. Through rescuing dogs she learned that not all dogs are the same as Otto. Some were mean, hyperactive, or skittish. Julie would spend all of her free time finding homes for dogs or fostering them. Yet, she always remained with high hopes of Otto being reincarnated.

It opened my eyes to how Klam put so much effort into rescuing dogs. At the beginning of this book, I didn't have a dog. But once I read how awful some conditions are for dogs and how Klam helped them, I wanted to do something like that. My parents and I went to a shelter and we all fell in love with a 4 year old american bulldog. We knew he was big and very different from our previous springer spaniel, but after hearing the story of his previous life, we wanted him to have a better life. Today, he loves our house and all the attention that he receives.

A man once asked Julie what the point in having a dog was. At the time Julie had 4 dogs. She was not going to say anything to the man until her daughter asked why she wasn't saying anything back to him. Julie then said:

"The National Institutes of Health has proven that owning pets has significant health benefits including the boosting of survival rates for coronary care patients. Dog ownership promotes regular exercise, being near a dog lowers its owner's blood pressure, and when a person interacts with a dog, the central nervous system releases several hormones that cause feeling of pleasure."

Throughout You Had Me At Woof, Julie was always happier when she was with her dogs. She would take them for multiple walks a day. With her rescue group she was a strong, active participant, helping her become more social.

With my personal experiences in having a dog, I and many others, can relate to Julie Klam's autobiography. All dog owners are changed through the characteristics of their dogs.

Animals can make a big impact in the lives of humans. From becoming confident and social, to many positive health benefits, dogs are apart of many human's lives. Within Julie Klam's life she has realized the person that she truly is through Otto. A dog isn't just an animal to most people, a dog is just another family member.