I'm not sure how it happened, but between Monday evening and this morning, I became a dog person. I grew up with dogs, but as I entered my 20s, I started to become supremely annoyed by people who treated their pets better than their children. This is probably a result of the first 12 years of my life, when my mom would tell my brother and I that our dog, Remo, was her favorite child.

For years, I have sworn up and down that I will never have a pet. Then, I fell in love with this little guy, who just happens to be so ugly that he's cute. My friend adopted Hogan 5 years ago when he was just a puppy and kept him until this past weekend, when he moved into a loft apartment that doesn't allow pets. When I found out Hogan was going to be shipped off to a stranger's farm, I couldn't bear to see him go. Before I knew it, I was offering to take him in--but just for a few weeks. Just until we could find him a better home.

Foster pets have a way of becoming your own, so I might as well call him mine. I already have stupid pet names for him, like "Sweet Hogan" and "Precious Child" (for when he wants to cuddle), "Old Crazy Eyes" (for when he looks at me as in the picture above) and "Mr. Hogan" (for formal occasions). It's embarrassing, but I swear I'll put him on the back burner if I ever have children. (I think).