Growing up, I can always remember having a pet.

My first dogs Jake and Honey were so big I could ride on their backs like a horse as a child. Then there were my cats, Sheba and then Sheba again (I wasn’t a very original namer).

Then I got a dog that was more like my size, Honeybun. He didn’t last too long, though, meeting his fate behind the wheels of a car.

In efforts to cheer me up, my dad brought home a little stray dog that he found on his job site. My dad wasn’t a very good namer either, naming my new dog Houndog, even though it was actually some sort of lab mix.

Despite her strange name, though, my little pup stayed with me for the next nine years.

She was there to play when I got bored, there to lie beside me when I was sad and just there to be a companion through my whole childhood. From scraped up knees to first dates, my furry friend was there.

I’m not sure exactly what happened to my dog. One day she just wondered off and didn’t come home. But, that’s what I heard old dogs do sometimes when they are ready to die.

This time, my dad didn’t run out and get me a replacement.

Actually, I didn’t get another dog until last Wednesday.

It wasn’t that I just missed Houndog too much (even thought I did). But, instead it’s because my parents became not such big fans of having pets in the house.

I didn’t know that, of course, until I met a perfect new companion — Pierre. (I’m not sure what I was thinking for that name).

He was small, which was perfect for inside the house, friendly and had all the wonderful qualities a dog should have — call it love at first sight.

So, I went home, told my mom and step dad all about it and was surprised to receive initial rejection. But, most who know me can attest, I’m not one to give up easily.

I went and did what I do best — write. I wrote a three-page letter soundly arguing the reasons why that dog and I were a perfect fit.

I even mustered up a few tears to go along with it as I orated my argument. (I’ll pretend, for the purpose of this column, that I was a young child at the time). Sadly, all that work did not prove successful.

Since then, I’ve been wanting a new dog, but I’ve never lived in the right place or had enough money or some other good excuse.

But, last week, I brought home a new dog Charley from the Pike Animal Shelter.

Charley’s said to be a Basset Hound-Golden Retriever mix, at least by his veterinarian. The mix sounds weird, but he’s not funny looking!

We haven’t known each other long, but he’s turning out to be perfect company.

Thanks to the Pike Animal Shelter, you could find that perfect companion, too.

Dogs aren’t for everyone, but if they’re for you, then I encourage you to head out to the shelter’s big fundraising event this weekend. Fur Fest, of course, will offer a chance for residents to take home a furry friend.

But, aside from that, it’s a fun-filled day to just fellowship with others in the community.

So if you want a new pet, love pets, or just want to have some fun, see ya Saturday!

Holli Keaton is the news editor at The Messenger. She can be reached at 670-6313 or holli.keaton@troymessenger.com.