I love dogs. Dogs are everything that’s good in the world. Unfortunately, I have never had one of my own because my mother is severely allergic. I have never had the experience of coming home to a dog that is so happy to see me, and I've never got to cuddle up with my very own pup. I’ve had pet fish before, but they’re just not the same. You can’t pet a fish or love it, and you don’t even know if it knows who you are. Because I have never been able to experience having a dog of my own, it definitely makes me long for one. If you are a dogless dog lover like me, you may feel these struggles as well.

1. You get super excited every time you see a dog in public.

Any breed, any size… you will definitely make the effort to point it out to the person you’re with. Your friend may not get as excited as you do, but a good friend will let you have your 30 seconds of dog love. The best dog spottings are when you see them riding in the car with their heads out the window.

2. You are tempted to ask the owner to pet it but you feel shy about it.

The owner probably wouldn’t know what it’s like to not have a dog, so asking to pet this stranger's dog just makes you look a bit crazy. As you walk past them, you regret that you've missed your chance to pet it.

3. You stop by pet stores just to pet the puppies.

They’re all so tiny and fluffy and happy, so when you walk by a pet store, you just need to go inside for a little visit. It’s obvious that you’re just there to pet the puppies so you feel bad for taking up space from families who are actually there to buy a dog (and you’re extremely jealous of them).

4. If you ever get the honor to hold the leash when your friend is walking their dog, you hold your head high.

You pretend to be a dog owner for a few minutes. It’s sad when you have to give the leash back.

5. If your friend gets a new puppy, you visit them as soon as possible.

And you will take so many pictures of/with it. You are so happy because this means you get to play with the new dog whenever you come over. You try to find new excuses to visit your friend.

6. You are the first person to find the dog and friend it at a house party.

Socializing with dogs is so much better than socializing with people. On your way to a party you really hope the host has a dog.

7. You Google search pictures of dogs and think about what kind you’ll get in the future.

And you follow a bunch of puppy accounts on Instagram. Procrastination for a dogless dog lover consists of scrolling through countless pictures of dogs. You have a list of breeds you like best and probably have some names picked out too. I cannot wait until I am able to support myself… and my future dog. Until then, all I can do is plan and wait.

Although I've been missing out on having my very own dog, waiting until I am older will make me appreciate my future pet. As I wait for that moment, I guess I will just have to love dogs in my own (strange) way.