I have been looking for the perfect dog for ages. Animals have always been a large part of my life; from watching animal programs every day to obsessing over getting a pet fish at the school fair. Now that I'm in college the new question is, do I get a dog? It's an extremely odd question given the fact that I have little time for sleep, let alone another living and breathing creature. My solution? I bought plants.

It's not practical, but at least I get to take care of something. Life is only going to become more hectic so in search of proper time management, I have reverted to first grade and am attempting to re-teach myself responsibility. It's not as easy as I thought. First of all, these blasted plants are all various types and I can't seem to get the sun right so one of them looks like I just plucked it out of the Amazon itself and the other looks like it hasn't seen light in over a decade. Needless to say, I am glad I am working with plants because I can visibly tell every day the issues I need to fix. Dogs are hearty and intelligent, so it's not something I will gamble with. I do know one sure fact, I plan to adopt.

Going to a Jesuit university has instilled in me a sense of responsibility and respect that I will cherish and continue to expand throughout my life. This responsibility means I no longer find it feasible to put aesthetics in front of an actual life. If it's too convenient I, like an online click from a breeder, probably won't want it anyways. I like that loose cannon dog who seems to always shy away from people and I love even more the dog that has terrible house training. I don't go into these relationships - just like a marriage - expecting the dog to change. It's wonderful if successful, but it's not the point. You get what you see generally, so expecting different is a tad silly.

I plan to eventually graduate to the level of mature dog owner, but until then I am content at the level of bumbling plant owner. It's only fair to the dog that I make sure I know what I'm doing. Yes, this is more a letter of motivation to myself because I want one very badly and my only other outlet is ranting to my roommate at 2 am about safety and security...and then saying we need a dog. If anyone has any suggestions, please mention below.