I’ve always considered myself a cat person. My family and I have had many special felines in our lives through the years, and each has been special and so very loved. I’ve never considered any other pet. We lost our sweet old black cat, Matty, last April, and he is missed in our home. Halloween, we always noted, was Matty’s season, as the black cat motif is everywhere. We’ve talked about adding a new generation of cats to our home, and maybe we will eventually, but for now, we’re waiting to see if the cat distribution system finds us before we go looking.

In the meantime, we’ve distracted ourselves in other ways. We’re lucky to live in a neighborhood with a regular procession of dogs and their owners, or at least walkers. This year, we make two trips up and down the street on school days, which gives us four chances to meet and greet these canines and their people on the route.

It’s a highlight of our mornings, and we’ve grown fond of a few doggies who we see regularly; my kids know to ask the dog’s human if it’s okay if we give their animal some pets, and mostly they agree, leading to an opportunity to meet new people and some pretty cute pups along our commute.

One new addition to the neighborhood is a sweet black girl named Juno. She’s just a few months old, with gangly legs and big white paws. Her friendly owner is patient with her and with us as we crouch down to her level. We might get a little puppy nip, a wet kiss, or a muddy paw on our jeans if we are lucky. She loses interest in us too soon and bounces away down the sidewalk.

Another good boy is Hobbes, a compact brown dog with the most expressive dark eyes of any dog I’ve ever met. When we first met him, he gave us the most hilarious side-eye glance that cracked us up, even his person. She agreed that he was undoubtedly suspicious of us at first, but now we’ve won him over, and my boys love to scratch his ears and ask him about his day.

There are many other sweet dogs on our route, but first in our hearts is Baffy, a white-brown-tan, shaggy little boy who is our most regular friend. Some days, we run into him and his sweet owner right outside our house, as if he’s come to wait for us, and other days, our paths cross down the street near the school. Still, no matter where we see Baff, one thing is the same: When he spots us, that tail goes on high wag speed, and he nearly pulls his owner over in haste to get to us.

He makes the rounds to each of us so we can give him our best pets, ear scratches, and belly rubs. If we go more than a day or two without seeing his sweet face, my kids and I remark on this, and the next time we see him, we always ask him where he’s been.

While Baffy is a favorite, meeting him was also an opportunity to meet a neighbor. We saw this dog and the woman who owns him for years before we said hello. I’m not sure why it took us so long – perhaps I was caught up in the madness of getting two little boys out of the house, or maybe the owner had other things on her mind and didn’t want to stop for us – but somehow my charming boys won them both over.

One day, my son turned to the curly-haired woman and sweetly said, “You know, we know your doggy’s name, but we don’t know your name.” She smiled and told us her name was Carla, and we introduced ourselves. Now, when we see them, we can greet them both, and my son is proud to make another friend.

So thank you to Baffy, Hobbes, Juno, and countless other very-good-boys and -girls on our commute, and to Carla and the other humans who generously share their furry companions with us daily. Even if more cats join our family, we’re grateful to love and be loved by all these glorious canines in all shapes and sizes.

Because even cat people can appreciate a wet puppy nose or two.

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This article originally appeared in the October 2023 Issue of Fete Lifestyle Magazine.