I did not, after all, get a dog. I wanted to, looked at pictures of shelter dogs for a few days. Had I walked by an adoption fair, I probably would have come home with a dog. I finally decided not to, mostly because there are many days where I leave the house in the morning and don't come home until 8:30 at night. I probably could bring my dog to the gym, so long as she got along with the dog who is already there. Getting a dog would force me to get a car; I can't bring a dog to Oakland on the weekends on the train.
In my mind, the plans to have a baby are an argument for getting a dog. "You need a dog to raise a kid", I say. This is based on our very sweet Beasley, who helped raise my baby sister and brother. Every night she would file in with the family to put them to bed. The kids would get their story and when Dad and their mom left the room, Beasley would stay with them to protect against monsters. Half an hour later, she'd come out to join the rest of us again. For years she guarded their sleep. Then there are the walks and the cleaning under the high chair. I was thinking that if I got a dog now, it would have a fun year or so before it lost my attention and went on kid duty.
But I didn't get a dog yet. Instead I came home and noticed that my cat was waiting for me on the sidewalk. She ran to meet me at my bike, like she always does. Then I remembered that she stays within four feet of me when I'm home and sleeps on my chest at night. When I'm weeding out front, she comes out with me and watches from a patch of tall grass. During the day she stays on my porch and runs out to greet passersby. I have a dog, I decided. One who does not want another dog.