I’ve been a dog person my whole life. There isn’t anyone in my life that doesn’t know that about me. I’m sure my gravestone will read “she loved dogs,” and that’s fine with me.

Another thing about me is that I love a good story. My ideal location is listening to people talk around a campfire. The campfire part is important, because in this dream world, I’m eating s’mores and drinking coffee.

So when I decided to perform this very Humans of New York-esque activity, it was really an excuse to pet some puppies and have people tell me their stories. I went to one of my favorite parks in Bellingham, Washington, and waited for four-legged friends to come by. Basically, I waited about six seconds.

Here are their stories.

1. Daisy.

"I just kind of went there because I was like 'maybe I’ll just look' and that’s never a good idea. I was just walking through there and I saw her and I’m like 'I’m just gonna take her home today.' And I grabbed her. She’s a good pup. She was neglected by her last owners. She’s happy now."

2. Lazarus and Puck.

"Lazarus got his name because he wasn’t breathing for 90 seconds when he was born, and like Lazarus in the Bible, he came to life. So he’s our resurrection dog. This guy is Puck, and he was the runt of the family, and he’s very mischievous and so his name comes from 'Midsummer Night’s Dream.'"

3. Gunter.

"I had recently relocated to New Mexico. I was living alone and I wanted a dog. I adopted him from a humane society. He was in a cage and cowering in the back. Nobody wanted him because he wouldn’t be sociable with them. I said 'that’s the dog for me.'"

4. Loki.

"When he was two months old, he fell off my second-story deck, so he fractured his hip and broke his femur. You probably notice he has a little hop to his step. It stunted his growth plate, and so everything – his tibia compensated an inch and a half of his femur to make sure his leg is long enough. But nothing internally happened. It was pretty amazing."

5. Oscar.

"I’ve volunteered at the humane society for about two years. I just love that I get to spend time with the dogs. They’re just really good companions."

I know, you're probably jealous I got to pet all these dogs. You can pet dogs too, though! Volunteer at your local shelter. Pups always need a walk, and you could help build their confidence. Help someone find their new home so their owners will have similar stories to share.