My entire life I had one wish, one that was fun and furry and “man’s” best friend. I grew up jealous of my friends who had dogs, praying that I would one day join the club too. I didn’t even care about the breed, gender, size, or color of the dog. I loved them all the same.

But a dog had never seemed like an option for my already large family. My dad is one of six siblings, my mom one of four, so they were both already used to the chaos and deprived of pets during their own childhoods. Then my parents had four young children of their own, all within five years of one another, crawling around the house. How could they be expected to add a dog into the mix?

Growing up, I couldn’t imagine that I would ever live my life without a dog. Sure, I would always say my siblings were like my pets (my dawgs), but it wasn’t the same.

Then, after years and years of begging, my parents finally decided that this was the summer we would get a dog. And on Friday, August 26, 2016, Marty became the seventh member of my family. A blue French bulldog, with soft gray fur and deep blue eyes; I had never seen a sweeter face in my life. He was timid and nervous at first, and it took some adjusting, but after a few hours and some much-needed affection, Marty was as comfortable as could be in his new home.

I think in the back of our minds, my family was expecting a dog to be all fun, but we’ve learned that dogs are so much work. They chew on everything, aren’t potty trained, get sick, need to be watched constantly so they don’t get into trouble — not to mention expensive. But there are way more benefits than downsides. Like the constant love, affection, and silliness a dog brings into your life.

Now I don’t even remember what life was like without a dog. And although I’m at school, missing my smushy little pup, it’s nice knowing I have a ball of fur run who will run towards the door with excitement whenever I go home.