He was all wrong for me. Far too young, wild and reckless, completely naive to the ways of the world. A mischievous little devil, intent on getting his way no matter what, the rules of society at large didn’t seem to apply, nor phase him. An intimidating distance stood between us as well; at least a two-hour drive on a good day, without traffic, which is a rarity in the bay area. Had I submitted a proper online dating profile, this beastly candidate would have been screened out from day one.

The thing is, I wasn’t lurking through the tangled web of Tinder profiles for a boyfriend; I was idly browsing through the pet section of Craigslist.

Luka is the dog I didn’t know I needed until the moment he adopted me. A 4 1/2-pound bundle of unlimited energy, he bound straight into my heart and refused to leave, sinking his sharp teeth in with a ferocious grip. Only 8 weeks old, he’s already begun to train me as much as I’m trying to train him, much to his chagrin. Tiny but mighty, he has big paws and a huge personality to grow into, with so many happy years ahead of us both. Though Luka is far from the kid I thought I would have, in all those hazy dreams of my imagined, unknowable future, he’s exactly the lifelong companion I was craving. This is it, this one is a keeper, I thought to myself, holding him for the first time as he licked my face in an excited frenzy.

My newborn baby is such a shockingly recent (and sudden) addition to the family that I don’t even have a proper portrait session to share yet, but I couldn’t waste this opportunity to share. Today just happens to be National Puppy Day, less than one week into this crazy journey, because life is often stranger than fiction. Honestly, you can’t make this stuff up.

If you’ve ever wanted to let more love into your life, start at the shelters. Please, adopt, don’t shop, and save another sweet creature with the misfortune of landing in the wrong place at the wrong time. To a certain degree, you must ignore your brain, let go of your preconceived laundry list of qualifiers, and go with your gut. When you find the right guy or gal, you’ll simply know.

Thank you Luka, for adopting me. I’m far from a perfect doggie mommy, but I promise to always love you.