A few months ago, my boyfriend and I moved in together. We've been together for almost two years now, and one of the things we always talked about was getting a dog. He was never a big dog person, but somehow I got him to go from, "Amanda, IF we ever got a dog, which is a big if, it will sleep on the floor and not allowed on the bed" to finding him snuggling our dog passed out sleeping after work.

We finally seriously thought about getting one but could never agree on anything. One weekend, we decided to check our local SPCA for the perfect puppy. He wanted a cat while I wanted a dog. Then, he wanted a small dog while I found big dogs cutest. We played with a few of the dogs and decided they weren't for us and that we would wait it out. Well... waiting it out turned into a trip to our local Petco for lizard food (the same day) and leaving with a seven-month-old kitten. She was on a visit from the ACCT shelter in Philadelphia, hoping to get adopted. I fell in love with her, and he followed up with, "I thought you wanted a dog?!" We took her home and ever since, she has been our baby ('Baby' is even her name!).

We quickly found that she was perfect for us. When we eat, she sits with us and eats right beside us. When we watch T.V., she shoves her little paws in between our bodies to wiggle her way in. When we sleep, she crawls under the blankets between our heads.

Just from the attitude change alone after adopting our kitten, I realized getting your own pet is way different than having your parents buy you one. It's so easy for us to get gifted a kitten, puppy, bunny, or reptile, and slowly place the care on our parents. We go out with friends, get busy with school and work, and completely forget that these pets were for us originally. Then, we always complain if our pet seems to favor our parents more than us. I always got angry when my cat would follow my mom around and sleep in her bed at night and not with me. I now realize the hand that gives attention gets attention.

I became so worried about our little ball of fur that I overreacted about everything. Anything on the floor, whether it be a box or a coin, had to be lifted where she can't reach it. It was tons of me saying, "BABE!!!! Pick that up hurry!" And him replying with, "Do you really think she's going to eat a whole cardboard box...?" Little did I know, our cat is a troublemaker who winds up in her own mess. She sits on the refrigerator, her tiny legs incapable of jumping down once she's up there. She knocks over water and spills food. I never knew I would worry so much about these things before.

After a month or two went by, I was scrolling through Facebook and saw a friend trying to find a home for a dog. He's a six-year-old named Diesel, and he's a partially deaf but loving pup who just wanted a good owner. The post said that if she couldn't help the owners find a home, the dog could possibly go to a shelter where they might euthanize him. For some reason, before I could even think, I messaged her a simple, "Hey, does that dog like cats?" I sent my boyfriend the picture of the dog, asking what he thought about him. I knew it was a good sign when he texted me back saying, "He's like a little man! I love him!" We talked about it, and I proposed the idea that if we were the ones she picked to meet the dog and he met all of our requirements, including liking us, then it was a sign he was meant to be ours.

All in a matter of hours, we were finishing our days at work and driving to meet this dog. Upon entering her house, the dog came right up to us. He was calm around their dog who he had been staying with for the time being. We couldn't believe how well-behaved he was. She told us that the owners previous to who we were taking him from now had abused him, and that's what caused him to go deaf. Besides for looking to us as if to ask for reassurance, you could never tell the dog had been abused. After a little while, she said, "Well...What do you guys think?" And we were leaving her house with our own dog.

As a person who hasn't had a pet dog in years, I didn't understand how it felt to have a little fur baby that likes to walk around wherever you go and protect you. Yes, of course, our cat is still our baby, but caring for cats and dogs is very different. (And yes, the cat and the dog are best buddies.)

It didn't seem real at first, just like we were watching someone else's pet. Kind of the same feeling that you have when your parents buy you a pet— that it's in the house with you but isn't really YOURS. After Diesel's (yes, we kept his name) first (EXPENSIVE) trip with us to the pet store, things were setting in. We took him on a few walks and many trips outside so he could mark everything in the yard, and then it was our first night going to bed with him. As he snuggled up next to the both of us, we couldn't get over how crazy it was that we had our own dog.

Laying in our bed with the T.V. volume low and the lights off, it was a weird (but amazing) feeling to look around and see a kitten above our heads and a puppy between us. We still wake up and take our dog for a walk in awe that we got to even get him. He protects us at night and plays with us during the day. We couldn't ask for a better pup.

In a sense, getting a kitten was a shock, it was a "wow, we got approved to adopt a kitten together!" type thing, but the dog rocked our world. We now have two little mouths to feed, walk, and care for. Two little beings that want to be loved and paid attention to the same way a child would. I never understood the cute dog stories on Facebook or how it felt to love a dog of your own. I always laughed at people that called animals their "fur babies" or "children." But now, I definitely get it and surprisingly so does my boyfriend.

It's so fun to call your animal by their name and watch them come running to you or to come home from work and hear them trotting up to the door to be loved. Our cat literally jumps into my boyfriend's arms when she hears us walk in after work. The fact that animals can develop a love for you that quickly is truly the cutest thing ever, and I'm so glad we decided to go through with saving these two angels.

I wish I could better describe how it feels to people who don't have a pet or a pet that's their own, but I don't know how. All I do know is that if you're planning on adopting your own fur baby, be prepared for lots of love, snuggles, smiles, and LOTS of toys invading your house!

If you are interested in getting a pet, try to adopt! Our kitten was from the ACCT and our dog was through a friend. Save a pet, they'll be forever grateful! Here are some links and phone numbers to the shelters I know of in the Philly area, if you're from there.

ACCT Philly - (267) 385-3800

Montgomery County SPCA - (215) 886-8802

Pennsylvania SPCA - (215) 426-6300

Also check your Facebook, local yard sale sites, or social media in general!