If you’ve ever walked around Chicago with me, you’ll quickly discover that I’m ridiculously obsessed with dogs. It doesn’t matter if it’s a puppy, a grey-haired lab, or a lazy pooch, if I’m walking down the street I irrationally stop to pet or visit with any dog I see on the street. It’s maybe gotten a little bit out of control considering I usually say “HIIIIIIII” or “OMG IT’S A FLUFFY ONE” in a puppy-loving voice, and then realize that the dog owners probably think I’m totally crazy – but I do it again and again anyways because I can’t get over how much I love them.

I’ve wanted a dog for as long as I can remember, but my mom had a weird obsession with bald cats, so I grew up with little creatures that looked like Mr. Bigglesworth from Austin Powers, rather than fluffy little pups that I had always wanted. Don’t get me wrong, I’m also obsessed with my ugly cats {it’s okay, they have great personalities so I’m allowed to say that…}, but getting a dog has been the thing I’ve been most looking forward to about being a “real grown up”. My friends are all having babies and getting married, and I’m just over here dreaming of puppies and taking snuggly naps with a little furry friend. One of these days it’s going to happen…and when it does, I’m going straight to PAWS Chicago to get my new fuzzy bestie.  For those of your Chicagoans who haven’t heard of PAWS, it’s an incredible organization that has saved thousands of dogs and cats over the years {and has taken the number of homeless pets killed in the city from 42,561 animals killed in 1997 to less than 8,700 2015!}. They are a no-kill shelter and do everything they do with zero city, state or federal funding, and completely rely on donations and volunteers to keep their doors open to pets that are looking for their forever home.

In the past few years I’ve lived just a few blocks away from PAWS, and I love seeing the volunteers take the cutest pups out for walks around the block. There are so many cute pups and kittens, and I have to resist the urge every time I walk by to immediately adopt a furry friend. And I mean, how can you blame me? Just LOOK at those cute little faces!!! Capri below is a 2 month old lab mix who’s as cute as can be – I couldn’t be more obsessed with those cute little eyes and she was so calm and collected while she was getting her photos taken.  I can’t even handle the cuteness! If you’re looking for a dog in the Chicago area, please consider adopting at PAWS first! There are so many sweet pups of all ages that are looking for a forever home, and adopting is always the best option. While I loved little Capri, Rimo the 3 month old shepard mix completely stole my heart, and I loved that he had one cute little floppy ear and the most inquisitive personality. I would have adopted him on the spot if he was going to stay that little forever, but for the family looking for a big pup, Rimo is your little guy! It was so fun to spend a few hours at PAWS learning about this amazing organization and taking a few photos with the cutest little guys ever. I was lucky enough to get to spend the afternoon with my friends Danielle, Lauren, Kelly {and little Emma!}, Alaina and Jena who all were just as excited to take pictures with pups as I was, which made for the most fun lunch break ever 🙂  If you’re interested in one of these sweet pups, swing by PAWS and learn more about them – their names are are Capri {a 2 month old lab/retriever mix}, Rimo {3 month shepherd mix}, Darla {4 year old lab/retriever mix}, and Mia {8 years old doberman/shepherd mix}.

And if you’re not quite ready for a pup or kitten of your own, consider volunteering, fostering a puppy or kitten, or joining the Animal Magnetism event in March to dance the night away while raising money for this amazing organization. While I’m not quite ready for a pet of my own, I’m already looking forward to when I’m going to be able to adopt my own little guy from PAWS in the coming years. And when I do…there will be lots of tears, and a bombardment of Instagrams – I apologize in advance.

A big thanks to the amazingly talented Katie Kett for the photos!