“Pita is the glue to the community”
When Nicole and her husband moved into a new neighborhood with their dog, Fia, they expected it would take some time to meet everyone around them.
Instead, one particularly friendly neighbor introduced herself almost immediately.
Her name was Pita — and she was a dog.
“[W]e really didn’t know anyone,” Nicole recalled in a video. “Pita was actually the first one to greet us in our new home. We let her in.”
Pita confidently walked through the door and went straight over to Fia.
Although the two dogs had never met before, there was hardly an awkward introduction.
They connected almost instantly.
“[T]hey became instant best friends,” Nicole said. “And of course, this meant we got to meet our neighbors as well.”
Nicole soon discovered that Pita belonged to the family living right next door.
Because the yards were easily accessible from one another, Pita quickly started treating Nicole and Fia’s house like a second home.
Her visits soon became a regular occurrence.
Sometimes, while walking with her owner, Pita would head directly toward Nicole’s house and use her paws to knock on the front door.
“As she would go on walks with her dad, she started walking up to our front door and knocking on it,” Nicole said.
It wasn’t long before everyone became accustomed to Pita showing up whenever she was ready for another playdate.
Fia especially loved having her best friend so close.
Whenever Pita went back home, Fia would often sit by the window and watch for her return.
“Anytime Pita went home, Fia would look out the window,” Nicole said.
Their friendship continued growing, but Pita wasn’t satisfied with making just one new friend.
Before long, she and Fia were socializing with dogs from all around the neighborhood.
And apparently, Pita decided those dogs should also learn the proper way to request a playdate.
“Pita and Fia started making friends with every dog in the neighborhood,” Nicole said. “And Pita taught those dogs how to trigger our doorbell and knock as well.”
Soon, Nicole’s front door had become something of a meeting point for neighborhood dogs.
The animals would arrive, announce themselves at the door and wait for the fun to begin.
Once inside, the dogs would wrestle, chase one another, play with toys and race after balls.
“We love to host dog block parties, and they love to play, wrestle, chase balls [and] play fetch,” Nicole said. “Our house has kind of become the cool place on the block, where all the dogs love to play.”
What started with one curious dog wandering into the home ultimately helped bring an entire neighborhood closer together.
Thanks to Pita, Nicole and her husband didn’t just meet the people living nearby — they formed real friendships with them.
“Pita is the glue to the community,” Nicole said. “We’ve become close with all the dogs’ owners.”
For a family that had only just arrived, they couldn’t have asked for a more enthusiastic welcoming committee.