"When you hug a dog and they put their head on your shoulder, that’s when you know it is love.” I have never personally owned a dog, in fact I am more of a cat lover for the most part. If you were to know me personally, I am the girl with a cat shirt, cat earrings, and my twitter bio says I am a modern day cat-lady. I’ve never understood this obsession with an animal that can’t talk and poops inside unless you take it outside. My whole life I have loved cats and I never fully got the idea of dogs being the best thing life could give us. A friend once said to me one day after we had played with a dog, that we didn’t deserve to have such loyal companions in our lives and as a cat lover my reply was just, “Why?” More recently though, these animals that have forever been called man’s best friend have also managed to make a breakthrough in this cat lovers life.

I was bit by a dog when I was younger which is why I avoided them for the most part. Since coming to school two years ago I have slowly but surely turned my slight fear/dislike of dogs into a love. Not only do I see dogs around my friends houses, but all over campus there are service dogs either in training or at work. These animals and creatures are willing to help their owners be able to function to the best of their ability. I have two very good friends who use service dogs to cope with anxiety disorders, and I have yet to see a more loyal companion for them. These animals are able to help their owners in ways that are indescribable. They are always by their side when possible and they never stray off because of something else. These dogs know their purpose and know they are loved, which is why I believe why they will never leave.

Even if your dog isn’t a service animal, I have never seen love between animal and man as I have between a dog and its owner. People have said to me “I would do anything for my dog because it was my only companion while my mom was working late shifts at the hospital,” and “My dog means everything to me and when we are together we are complete, he makes my life so much happier because he has unconditional love towards me.”

Recently one of my roommates got a french bulldog puppy. It’s two months old and it has slowly but surely won my heart over in the week that it has been in our home. This tiny creature has become an addition to our apartment and I can already see it being my roommates best friend in the future. The tiny puppy follows her around like a child following its mother. Not only does she follow my roommate around, but she also follows each of us if we are walking around the apartment. She has become our fifth roommate. She has impacted my roommates who are dog lovers, and me, a true cat lover.

I will always love cats because of their independent attitudes, but man’s best friend definitely has a way of getting into our hearts that cannot be described by words. Instead by only the mere actions which they show towards us as we continue to love and care for them as if they were also human.