For many people, a dog is a companion, but for Harlow Patalano from Glendale, CA, Falco is her whole world. Their journey together has inspired fun Instagram videos, heartfelt stories, and a growing community of dog lovers. In this interview, Harlow shares how Falco entered her life, what she’s learned as a dog mom, and why German Shepherds hold a special place in her heart.
Hello Harlow Patalano, welcome to Dogopo! To begin, please introduce yourself. What’s your full name, which city do you live in, and what is your dog’s name? Also, how much has your life changed since becoming a dog mom?
My name is Harlow Patalano, I live in Glendale, CA and my son’s name is Falco. My life has changed so much ever since I became a dog mom to him. It has made me more responsible and it has taught me so much.
You create wonderful videos with Falco on Instagram. How did your journey of sharing your life online with your dog first begin?
It’s funny because I had been wanting to make videos for a while but I didn’t feel comfortable with the way I looked on camera nor the way I sounded, but one day I decided to leave all that aside and I made a video about him being “Mexican” because he liked nopales, I saw it had 2 shares and no one ever shared my posts so that inspired me to push forward and make another video, so once again it had to do with his love for tacos, that one was shared as well and I started realizing that some people liked our content so from that day on I kept going and now we share dancing videos, fun trends, a sneak peek into our lives, etc.
Every dog has a special story. How did Falco come into your life, and what made you choose him?
Falco was actually given to me at 7 weeks old. I had found a guy online whose dog was pregnant and was selling the puppies so I reached out to him. Met Falco’s biological mom when she was pregnant and met Falco’s dad (he looks so much like his dad), I gave him a deposit, he reached out when he was born so we went to see him at 4 days old, they were so cute. Finally at 7 weeks from being born, the guy reached out and told us to come pick him up, I didn’t get to choose him but destiny brought us together and I feel like the luckiest mom in the world to have him.
You are a proud mom to a German Shepherd. What do you love most about this breed, and what should people know before bringing a German Shepherd home?
What I love the most about German Shepherd is that they are very smart and very protective, I had never had a dog who was protective and the feeling of being protected by a dog who loves you is unique and very special. German Shepherds are working dogs, I think it is important for people to know that these dogs need a lot of exercise and also a lot of attention, they don’t like being alone.
Being a dog mom is beautiful but not always easy. What are some challenges you’ve faced, and how did you overcome them?
Some challenges I have faced have been not being able to be out of the house for long periods of time as he needs to be walked and fed. Also, traveling is very challenging because I am unable to bring him with me to every trip, he is a son to me so it is hard to trust people with him as I treat him like a little kid and with a lot of love and I don’t think every person out there will do the same if I was to leave him with them. He is also very alpha and unfortunately is aggressive towards other dogs so I cannot bring him to a doggy park.
Falco seems full of energy and joy. What does a regular day look like for the two of you – walks, training, playtime?
Falco is full of energy and joy, he is the king of the house and gets treated like a baby haha. So we usually go for a walk 3-4 times a day and we go to the park to exercise once a day and he loves it. Also, when it’s bed time, he loves playing this game where I toss his toy up in the air and he jumps to catch it, then he gives it to me and we do it again. He also loves being chased around the coffee table, he could go on for hours, it’s the cutest thing. Oh, and playing fetch in the house is another fun game we play. As of training most of his training we spent hours on it when he was little, I taught him many commands and to not be food aggressive, he’s a really good boy.
Many pet parents look up to you for inspiration. What are your top tips for raising a happy, well-behaved dog?
My top tips are to always think about your dog as your kid, they depend on you to use the restroom, to be fed, to wash their dishes, their beds, their blankets, to be brushed, showered, educated. A dog is not born “bad” it is just not taught to be well behaved. Spend time training them, that also creates a beautiful bond between you and them.
Finally, what message would you like to share with other dog moms, dog lovers, and the Dogopo community?
Let’s spread awareness about being a dog parent. A lot of people love dogs but are not fit to be dog parents, dogs are not meant to be home alone all day, if you work a lot, don’t get a dog, if you don’t like waking up early, don’t get a dog, they need to be walked in the morning and fed. We are their whole world, dogs deserve to be happy 🙂
You can connect with Falco and Harlow Patalano through Instagram @falcoandharlow