I went to the Boulder Humane Society with the intent of discovering my canine soul mate but instead immerged as the new co-owner of a tiny kitten. A cat, you ask? Yes, I wondered the same thing.

In all honesty, I hate cats. They act perpetually more superior than dogs but fail to comprehend the most basic of commands. Sit, stay and fetch are apparently well beyond their vocabulary but words like “treat” are certainly within their kitty lingo. Selective hearing, I suppose.

Growing up with pet allergies made me wary of getting too comfortable with the neighborhood cats because I would inevitably double over in fits of sneezes (this is incredibly unattractive and often dangerous as I have been a victim of a dislocated rib due to violent sneezing). However, I resigned myself to pet dander misery when I walked into the feline atrium at the Boulder Humane Society.

Being of the mindset that a cat could never compare to the companionship offered by a dog, I just went to “look” (like looking without adopting is really and option around small, adorable kittens). Rounding the final corner of track-like walkway of the cat room, a little black streak jumped at the glass and quickly ran away.

Sold.

Weighing in at a sweltering two pounds, we spared no time replacing her uninspiring shelter-name of (pronounce in a southern twang) Marmalade, to the more musically conscious, and highly androgynous name of Tosh.

(Note: We narrowed it down to Tosh and Marley. Loving the name Tosh, I figured we could name our future dog, Marley. Of course, Marley & Me hit theaters shortly after and my enthusiasm for having a dog name Marley vanished. Poof.)

Now, Tosh is over a year old. She is fat (note the emphasis) and happy. Because she is such a wonderful animal, I cannot help but put her more in the dog category because she fulfilled the same companionship need that I originally desired. With that said, I still side with dogs:

Dogs/Tosh: 1

Cats: 0

For more information about the Boulder Humane Society, please visit their site.

If not in Boulder, visit this site for some adoption opportunities in your area.