A red ribbon to tell him apart from a dozen puppies. A wire fence cut open on his very first day. A broken bone at three months, and two months of recovery behind the counter of a small tobacco shop. Two balls, because he will not give one back. A bidet instead of a water bowl. Seven hours on a plane to Dubai, and a corner turned at the airport without saying goodbye.

Darko is a hundred-pound Alsatian German Shepherd: oversized, strong-willed, with one rule only — he comes to you first, and then you may go to him.

Patrizia is his mom. In these pages she tells the story of nine years together: the dogs who came before him, the house in the Castelli Romani, her children, a grief that does not pass, the move to Dubai, and a dog growing old «just a little slower». And one simple message: a dog is raised with patience, not with fear.

This is not a manual. It is a true story. At the end of every chapter there are three questions for you and your dog; at the back of the book, a notebook to write your own.

For anyone who has a dog, who has had one, or who is thinking about getting one and is not sure yet.