Do you have a pet?

The majority of New Yorkers, including myself, live in apartments the size of a shoebox. So, it's crazy to me that almost everyone seems to have a dog. When I go to Central Park, I see every type of dog you can imagine. There's one huge dog that really looks more like a bear, and its hair is in a thick dreadlock type style that touches the floor. Actually, it looks like mix between a bear and a mop, so I'll call this breed BOP. Even though I've seen this BOP a million types, I can't help but to stare every single time. The owner is a thin little man, and he just walks that huge beast of a dog like it ain't no thang. He might as well be walking a poodle. I was about to say "it's funny," but I think it's more puzzling than funny.

My first apartment in New York was shared by two other girls (Liza, of course, was one of them), and a dog. Oh, and that was a ONE-BEDROOM apartment. That living situation was probably one of the worst experiences of my life. I'm not going to get into the details (the memories still make me shudder), but having a dog in that cramped space definitely did not help things. The dog was not potty trained, so when I'd wake up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom, my foot would be greeted with a fresh piece of slimy dog poop. (This also happened to my mom and friends when they stayed over.) Lovely.

Meet Vivienne--the prettiest, potty-trained pooch in all of Manhattan. When my friend, Joyann, asked me to take care of her this weekend, I happily said yes. I don't know what it is about Viv, but whenever I'm around her, she has me saying things like, "You're such a pretty girl, yes you are, yes you are," in my best-attempted baby voice. You know me. I don't do that shit for anyone--except Viv. She's so cute, I don't even mind picking up her poop when we go out on walks. (Although, I must say, Viv pooped more times yesterday than I'd like to mention. What's homegirl been eating?)

Even though I went to bed at 10pm last night, waking up at 6am was not easy. I probably averaged five hours or so of sleep each night this week, which is definitely not enough. Ohh well, I may just have to treat myself to a grande skim latte to perk me up. I have a full day ahead of me. Right now I'm heading over to take Viv out for a walk, and then I MUST do some form of exercise. And then, I'm working on a reporting assignment all afternoon. (Sorry, can't share deets, it's confidential). All I want to do tonight is go out to dinner and see Couples Treat. It doesn't seem like too much to ask, but I somehow have a feeling it might not happen. We'll see!

Tell me: Do you have a pet? If not, did you have one growing up? (I had a dog. R.I.P. Trippy!!!)