Dear fortunate human being,

I wish I were you. I wish I could come home to someone who makes more noise than I do when they get excited. My mom knows she would be the one stuck taking care of him, (yes he’s hypothetically a boy) so I’ve never had a puppy waiting for me under the Christmas tree. That’s okay, though, BECAUSE I HAVE YOU! Whether we’re friends, family, neighbors or complete strangers, I hope you know that your dog makes my day so much better. If the saying “dogs are great judges of character” is true, I feel so much better about myself when your dog doesn’t growl at me when I go to pet them. You are a gift from God because you let me play with your pet and feel loved without all the poop scooping or shedding. The struggle of being a dog-less dog lover is real and I can’t thank you enough for making it suck less. If I ever pay attention to your dog more than you, I am SO sorry! I honestly don’t realize it because they are so cute and something I can't get enough of. So human to human, I really must thank you.

Thank you for not judging me when I take a selfie with them. Honestly, you probably do think, “what the hell is this girl doing?” but I show my mom every picture I take to convince her we should get one. (Haven’t had much success…but I’ll keep you posted)

Thank you for letting me pretend that they’re my best friend too. If my dog voice for them ever conflicts with the one you’ve given them just tell me to stop- you know them better than I do.

Thank you for letting me give them WAY too many treats. Each dog has their own signature/go-to trick and I genuinely enjoy each and every one of them. (High-fives are my favorite)

Thank you for letting me hold their leash. This makes me so happy you have no idea; people ask ME to pet YOUR dog because they think I’m the owner – ugh, bittersweet but sure go ahead.

Thank you for asking me to dog sit while you’re not home. Shout out to my neighbors for always going away and letting me play pretend dog owner! If I had a tail, it would be wagging too.

Thank you for showing me which toy is their favorite. Sometimes I might just take one for the team and sacrifice my flip flop. I never get tired of a good game of fetch.

Thank you for letting them sit on my lap in the car. Doesn’t matter how long or short the car ride is; I love seeing how happy they are with their head out the window.

Thank you for letting me witness the birth of a litter. Yep, never thought I’d say that but this past summer was amazing. It smelt disgusting BUT those cute, squealing little bundles of joy were worth every second.

But most of all, thank you for teaching me about the importance of obedience training, responsibility and love for when I become a dog owner. God Bless!

Sincerely,

The girl who’s obsessed with your dog.

P.S- If my future husband just happens to be reading this, please propose to me with a wiener dog and/or corgi.