For as long as I could remember, everyone has been arguing which pet is the best: dog or cat. They both have benefits and downfalls, and I'm here to lay them out for you.

Dogs? Dogs.

Benefits: There can be many benefits to having a dog. They come in all shapes and sizes. Long hair or short hair. Long tails or little nubs. Floppy ears, perked up ears, and sometimes really short ears (naturally short ears, don't dock your dogs' ears, that's wrong). And all kinds of colors. You can essentially find a dog that is made perfect for you. If you want someone (let's be honest, pets are people too) to get excited about you coming home EVERY TIME you come home, even if you literally just walked out the door to take the trash out, then you need a dog. They are sometimes the dumbest little (or big) things that you will ever encounter. Whether they are chasing their tails, barking at a leaf on the ground (or a leaf in a tree, let's be honest, they probably thought it was a squirrel because it moved with the wind), they are still the happiest animals that you'll encounter. They will always accept your loving. They will wag their tails so fast that they fall over. They will do anything to help you, even if it's not actually helping you. They are loyal, forever. Don't believe me? Next time you're around your dog, "fall" to the ground and watch how quickly they come to you to check and see if you're okay.

Downfalls: HAIR.. Moving on. Like I said, dogs can sometimes be dumb. They will bark at many noises, even if they see what made the noise (I've literally knocked on the wall, next to my dogs face, and he went crazy barking at the front door). They will more often than not, run around the house excited as all get out, and probably knock over numerous things, possibly breaking a couple. They also have to be house trained, which can get really disgusting. Moving that to the outside, you need a yard if you really want a dog, so if you live in an apartment, they are obviously not suited for that. If you do have a yard, and it's a small one, then you'll have to constantly clean up the many, um, "presents" that they leave for you.

Cats? Cats.

Benefits: Cats are very intelligent, finicky little creatures. Many of them tend to have their "primal instincts" and they feel the need to be obnoxious, but that's why we enjoy them. They can perfectly fit into any home, or even apartment. If you like having someone there that will kind of be happy to see you, but also have a face that may want to eat you, get a cat. Cats have their own personalities, and wow do they let them show. You have cats that are playful, some that want to be left alone. Some that are very loving, others that want to be left alone. Some that are active and constantly stalking something isn't there, others want to be left alone. Cats aren't actually all of these things individually, they're all of them at the same time. This is what makes cats so likable. They are so much like humans; sometimes we want to play and have fun, wander around aimlessly, be loved, and sometimes we just simply want to be left alone. Cats are everything we want to be, but fury and tiny. They're still there for you when you're down in the dumps or extremely happy, but they leave you alone when you want to be left alone. They're purrfect (ha, get it).

Downfalls: HAIR.. Moving on. Cats can be, well, a-holes. They don't listen well to orders, or really anything. If they want to find a way to climb on top of the curtains in your living room, guess what that cat is going to do, climb on top on the curtains. If they want to knock off every figurine you have on a shelf, guess where those figurines will be, on the floor. Much like dogs, they can make noise as well, and to some people a cat meowing is very, very annoying. They can also be expensive (especially when you have to account for all of the broken figurines and the destroyed curtains). They have to have litter boxes, constant litter to go in those boxes, things to make your house smell good (depending on the proximity of your litter box to the rest of your living areas), cat food, couple of bowls, and occasional meds. Cats have reoccurring expenses, that are always a pain to pay. Lastly, they can be a hassle to clean up after. The litter box is smelly, constantly needed trash bags to throw it away, all the while the cat just sits next to your with the face that says "Yes, slave, scoop my filth. For I will only desecrate thy box once more and make you do it again in about, 3-5 days, give or take a few." (For reference, I gave the cat the voice of an evil villain or ruler, because let's face it, they all sometimes give off that vibe of wanting to take over the world)

So there's that. You all still probably have your sides of whether you're a "dog person" or a "cat person" but hopefully this'll shed (get it, it's an animal hair pun) some light on the animal war that is going on. A war that, in my opinion, doesn't really make sense. Don't judge people because they don't like the same animal as you, because guess what, if they don't agree with your opinion I can guarantee that they would rather spend the day with their dog or cat over you any day, and don't you forget it.