I grew up in a house that did not allow animals of any kind, except for the occasional garden snake. (I was never fond of snakes.) Until about the end of my sophomore year of high school was it that we, as a family, started acquiring pets.

I'll never forget the day my mom and sister brought our first dog home. I was so excited to finally have a dog! All my friends had one, and the love they expressed for their furry friends made me want a dog so badly. Now, with my mom and sister having brought home a new dog, I obviously didn't have a choice in what breed we would be getting. It was much to my surprise unwrapping the blanket to find this tiny dark brown blob jumping out.

I was floored. He was so tiny, and when I asked what kind of dog he was, I was so upset. He was a Chihuahua. See, all of my friends had these medium to large breed dogs and loved them so much. And all I could think was how in the world was something this insignificant be as lovable? I was embarrassed to tell my friends that I had gotten a dog because they would ask what kind I had, and when I told them all of the jokes were made. They'd laugh and go on about how a Chihuahua wasn't any sort of a real dog. It made me feel awful. Regardless, I came to love this dog so much.

Watching him grow, play, and learn was amazing. How could this tiny thing have so much energy? How was his small brain so capable of learning all kinds of tricks and commands? How could his tiny heart share so much love to an entire family? It wasn't long until I realized that it's not the size of the dog that dictates how amazing a pup could be, and once I realized that he became my most favorite living creature. The benefit to him being so small is he will always be the size of a puppy, and I'm a sucker for puppies.

I loved this dog so much, that when his offspring were born, I picked one and took him home with me, too. I expected this second puppy to be exactly like the first; so easy, smart, and loving because, you know, the offspring typically take traits from their parents. Well this second dog proved me wrong. He was the most difficult, dumb, needy puppy ever, but he was filled with so much love. And he showed me another side of owning a dog, and I couldn't love him more.

It's such a wonderful experience watching my two dogs do their thing, and they do it so differently because of their special personalities. Knowing how one thing will work for one dog, and another for the other dog. No matter how different they are they do have plenty of similarities like enjoying walks, chasing anything in the yard, barking at the leaves, looking better than me in pictures, and so much more. They bring smiles to stranger's faces, they protect our house from all the terrifying creatures in the woods, they are so comforting on the toughest days, and most of all they have brought so much love and joy into our family.

There's always something to talk about - especially when they have had an adventurous day escaping their leash. The are the best snuggle buddies; you sit down and you better get comfy quick because not 0.2 seconds later are they making themselves comfy in your lap. They're great listeners. OK, well that's not entirely true, but they sit there and look like they're listening to my stories. They are man's best friend.

My small dogs are really amazing. Nowadays when people ask me what kind of dogs I have, I am so proud to tell them that I have not one, but two Chihuahuas. Immediately after, I whip out my phone and show them all of the pictures I have of them, come to realize it I need more pictures of them. I can never have enough!

If you have a dog, I am so happy for you! You know the blessings of owning a dog and how truly fantastic they are. All breeds have there special quirks and personalities, and I am sure you might feel your dog(s) are the best because I do. I am a proud small dog owner and I love my dogs more than anything in this world.