It's raining cats and dogs.

After a very pleasant weekend spent with one of my favorite pooches in the world, Billie. I am more convinced than ever that I have to have a dog.

I was born to a cat household- Cookie, our Tabby cat was my first furry pet (aside from Shoobie and Vucka- yes, Vucka, root of the name: unknown- I was a strange kid) was a good pet. Cookie cuddled and let us dress her up in our baby clothes without the littlest peep- she slept with me every night and I would delight in being awoken at her pouncing on my toes.

Then, my parents began developing allergies to cats and before I could protest, Cookie was passed over to a loving woman who was looking for a cat- we moved into a new home and it remained cat free.

Fast forward now to university. First thing I did was get myself a cat. I called her my mitzvah (good deed) cat. She belonged to a woman dying of cancer and I thought that by giving this sad cat a good home so she would not be abandoned, was a good thing. The vet said so, the dying woman said so, my heart said so. The cat said fuck you.

I brought the cat home with me when I left university despite it being akin to satan.

For 1.5 years I had a cat that was unfriendly, unfun, and spent the majority of its waking hours running and flinging itself at the window in my parents living room as if to try committing kitty suicide.

Suffice to say that when my mom “accidentally” left the door open and the cat escaped, I was only slightly heartbroken. I hated to think of the poor cat surviving in the wild of Suburbia, but relished in the knowledge that I could get a new, better, more lovable cat to shower my attentions on.

Fast forward to 3 years ago when I moved in with my now husband to our flat. He brought his family cat. I was elated. The cat was the best cat in the world- and the furriest. My husband got allergies to the cat. The cat went back to live with his parents. I can never have a cat again.

Anyways, I digress because the true point is that I want a dog. A big dog. A dog that likes cuddles.

Now, I don’t want to sound like I would be a bad dog owner- I would be amazing. And I don’t want to seem like I want a dog for the wrong reason- but one super perk I found out about dog ownership is that it makes you popular. Like abnormally popular. Like even the grumpiest old men stop and smile at you when you are with a cute dog, popular.

I was like the Snow White of the neighborhood! Children who usually recoil at my very presence were flocking to me just to get a glimpse of the dog, old people stopped to say hello, shop owners left their registers unattended to come over and pet the pooch. It was ridiculous!

I have walked my neighborhood many a time before, I have run, sauntered, strolled and I have never had even 1 single person say hello to me (less the crazy dude outside Starbucks who, less saying hello and more not speaking at all, rubbed against my whole body with his whole body on my way to pick up the pup- and that encounter was certainly less enjoyable and far more invasive and disgusting).

Anyways. Point being- having a dog makes you an instant hit on the streets and with my child and general people repelling ways- I need all the help I can get.

mission: dog.