I'm a dog person. I like to be able to walk my pets. I'm allergic to cats. I'm a dog person, through and through. They're great. They're friendly, affectionate, loyal and a little silly. I'm a dog person.

And yet, somehow, I ended up with a rabbit. A baby, Netherland dwarf rabbit. And the worst thing? I think that I love him.

His name is Burt. I didn't plan on purchasing a rabbit. No. No. I have a friend who bought one. She couldn't get a cat, because she lives on campus and in a dorm, so she couldn't put landlord information for an adoption. So, instead, she bought a rabbit.

And she got caught. I was "bunnysitting" the then-unnamed rabbit when she was told that the building workers knew, and she asked me if I wanted to keep him.

That was sometime last week. Since I've had Burt living with me, I've grown to really, really love him. He's not the brightest, sometimes, and he does leave pellets (read: poop) all over the place, though he's getting better about it. His claws are sharp and sometimes can leave really nasty scratches on my arms, hands and legs. He wakes me up in the mornings.

But I love him, and I'm glad he's living here. He'll perch on my shoulder. He'll only sometimes lick my roommates, but he always gives me a little kiss. One morning, I was sitting on the couch playing a video game, and he jumped right up into my lap.

I'm pretty busy this year, so I wouldn't have time for a bigger animal, like a dog. But Burt is a low-maintenance rabbit. I let him out (when I'm around) to explore our living room and hallway (he's already learned he's not allowed in the kitchen and claimed the dining room as his bathroom) to get his exercise. When I'm not around, he stays in his cage, with water that he only needs replaced daily, food only once a day and an unlimited supply of hay so he has something to snack on and keep his teeth from growing too long.

They don't need any vaccinations or grooming -- other than getting his nails trimmed so they don't dig so deep.

I have to keep a careful eye on him most of the time, because he's pretty bold. He'll try to chew on wires or my roommate's shoe. But he listens and almost knows when he's in trouble.

So, yeah. I never, ever thought I'd adopt a rabbit that I could have from anywhere to 6-15 years from now. But I did, and now I can say that, in addition to a dog person, I'm a rabbit person.