Abby Fishman

Ever since I was little, I've loved dogs more than most things in life. Sadly, my mother is allergic to dogs, so I’ve never been able to have my own. The first dog I knew was my aunt's yellow lab, Buckey. I lived across the street from my aunt so I pretty much grew up with him, and I would visit him at every chance I got. He was definitely the sweetest dog I ever knew.

My love for dogs has escalated as I've gotten older. Every time I see a dog, I yell “Puppy!” and sometimes, I’ll even run up to pet the cute, waddling ball of fur. Otherwise, I will stop in my tracks to admire from afar. Many people find this amusing, but I just can’t help reacting this way.

It doesn’t take long after meeting me to realize that I have a crazy obsession with the adorable animal. On multiple occasions, my friends have taken me to Petland just so I could squeal over the tiny puppies. One of my favorite puppy “play dates” that I’ve been on was with a pug named Ripley. A friend of mine--who knows that pugs are one of my favorites-- set up a surprise for me. I had no idea what was going on, but I soon realized that we were heading towards the local dog park. I was so excited. It turned out that she had arranged for a friend of hers to meet us at the park with her pug so that I could play with him. It can’t get much better than that! I believe that for as long as I live, my love for puppies will only grow stronger.