When I Became a Dog Person

It was not so long ago that I was one of those people that thought I could never have a pet: too much work; I’m not home enough; we travel too much; picking up the poop, etc. Then one day, after a couple months of going back and forth, we met Babka. Smart dog that she is, she immediately decided that she would come home with us.

The first week was possibly the worst week of my life. (Why won’t she eat? What do we do about this crate that she hates? Why won’t she poop? What the hell have I gotten myself into?) But eventually she started eating, broke out of her crate (that was the end of that), started going to the bathroom on a regular basis and snuggles up with me on the couch. In this time I have realized that I have actually become a dog person. Here is how I know:

1. When we moved into our new house, FKGuy saw a stray dog running around. She is tiny and since I have seen her, I have this fear that she will get run over by a car or starve. I am obsessed with getting her and finding her an actual home.
2. Sometimes I forget to warn people that you should never get in the backseat of my car wearing black pants, unless you don’t mind your ass getting furry. 2a. Babka sheds, and it really doesn’t bother me.
3. I routinely check the Paws 2 Care website, just to see photos of the new dogs. (Even though I know Babka is good at being an only child and might not take too well to another one.)
4. Picking up the poop is really no big deal.
5. I tend to want to go out to restaurants that will accommodate Babka (and be gracious about it). I have to think twice about going other places.
6. I now ask my friends how their dogs are. Case in point: when we were last in New York we made our way across town to the east side (before heading to SoHo for dinner) simply so we could see our friends’ pit bull. (Yes, we told them it was so we could spend more quality time with them, and yes, I have now outed myself.)
7. Speaking of pit bulls, I have become (loudly) against breed discrimination. I never really thought about it before, but it makes sense, right? We don’t (or shouldn’t) discriminate against people because of the way they look, so the same should hold true for our canines.
8. When Babka jumps up in our bed at 5 or 6 in the morning for a little snuggling, I find it adorable. Even when she kicks me in the ribs.
9. When I leave Babka with our dog sitter (which happened quite a bit in the move), and I come home and she is not here, the house feels very empty and I do not like it one bit.

For a while I thought I was crazy. But I have come to realize that most people – whether they will admit it or not – are a little nuts about their pets. Some of them are a lot nuts. Me? Well, I need to cut this short because Babka needs a walk. See you all on Wednesday.