It’s always a pleasant surprise when you come out of a theater with a better experience than you expected going in. Such is the case with Florida Studio Theatre’s summer mainstage production of Dog Mom, a comedy that offers more than just harmless but forgettable laughs.

Dog Mom, by Tate Elizabeth Hanyok, is one in the series of National New Play Network’s Rolling World premieres, which FST has participated in before. It’s all about giving new plays a shot, and Dog Mom has already turned up in a couple other recent productions elsewhere. Now it’s FST audiences’ turn to get in on the fun.

As the title implies, this one is about a woman, Liz (Katharine McLeod), recently transplanted into Brooklyn after a divorce that moved her out of New Jersey. It’s literally her first day there; she hasn’t even unpacked yet, so it adds to her disruption when a stray dog turns up near her place and starts to make itself (herself) at home. Her first thought is to call the animal shelter, because she’s not a “dog person” and can’t imagine taking on the responsibility of caring for what turns out to be an aging Golden Labrador Retriever.

But as it turns out, the dog (played in instantly appealing style by Kelsey Leigh Stalter) is hard to get rid of. That’s partly because the shelter’s euthanasia clock starts ticking the moment a dog arrives, and partly (natch) because Liz, while denying she’s lonely, begins to fall for the dog she fosters—and eventually names Foster.

Liz is also initially reluctant to form any sort of friendship with her new next-door neighbor, Nell (Marina Re), who’s more than a little pushy and whose manic dog, Ruben (Ryan G. Dunkin, frequently hilarious), bonds with Foster. There are some sharply performed physical bits (under the direction of Nancy Rominger) that vividly portray the behavior of actual dogs, whether it’s sniffing out food under couch cushions, picking up a really neat stick, or finding just the right spot to, ahem, use the bathroom. There are some clever lines in the script, too, and the added gimmick of Liz and Foster somehow being able to understand what the other is saying.

But Hanyok’s play also reminds us of how we humans can benefit, not only from being with a dog, but from learning from them—how to appreciate the sun on your face, the breeze in your hair, or, to put it simply, the difference between a dreaded “tomorrow” and the exciting expectation of a “new day.” It may sound corny, but the notion that the breaking of a heart means other emotions and relationships can find a way in, does get to life’s meaning.

The cast conveys that message ably, with McLeod empathetic as a woman struggling to find her way, Re a believable New Yorker in attitude and speech, Stalter and Dunkin convincing and lovable as dogs, and Kraig Swartz taking on multiple roles with aplomb. (He’s especially fun in a brief bit as a cat.)

So, the laughs you’d expect from the concept of Dog Mom are definitely there. Just be aware, you may find yourself blinking back a few tears, too.

Dog Mom continues at FST’s Keating Theatre through July 26. For tickets, call (941) 366-9000 or go to floridastudiotheatre.org.