Hey Jennie. I'm late to the thread but thought I'd throw in a few things...which I'll try to keep brief.
I think for those of us who get pets, there's probably some a reason behind it we're not aware of. And, it's turned out for me, I've ended up with dogs that I absolutely needed at the time though they weren't always the dog I necessarily wanted. Needed in the sense of, I needed them to help me grow in certain areas that I was unaware of or unsure how to. Like a sponsor, I think we get the pet we need. Being a believer that God is everything, why couldn't God come to me through a dog? ......God can (I believe).
One thing that continually blows my mind is that at any given period of time my dog's exhibited patterns of behavior that drive me nuts - but they're patterns I TOO was acting out in other areas of my life. As a puppy, it was being extremely needy on one hand, and very destructive on the other. I got him when I was new to recovery, getting better, but still full of a LOT of "old behaviors" that were very destructive to ppl around me........and on the other hand I was VERY needy when it came to recovery. Even now that he's 7, the behaviors have changed and my frustrations have changed......but they still tend to mirror where I'M at in my life. I usually don't think so at the time.....but it's been pretty consistently on point when I look back with the clarity of hindsight.
Practice your program and the principles with your dog. Sometimes it's a great test-bed before you put something to use with real live ppl. For anyone mature enough to handle a pet......I think they're great---- but I ESPECIALLY think they're great for ppl in recovery. I've learned sooooooo much from my dog that it's crazy. If only I could put it into practice as well as my Zen Master - Ramsay.