As a family of cat fans, I must protest. Actually, my oldest is rather allergic to dogs...she breaks out in hives when she touches them. She is the BIGGEST fan of ALL animals, and someday wants to work with them. Therefore we do not have a dog, but we have a cat...Mocha. People can say what they want about cats, but they are not all the same. Ours greets each of us every morning by jumping onto the bed and giving us a little kiss (eskimo style). That is actually how she came to be part of our family. We went to the shelter to check out the animals. When I took Mocha (her name was "Baby" at the time), she gave me an eskimo kiss. I new that this was the cat for us. She is great with the kids, and will watch over them when they are sick...she snuggles up with them in their beds. She is a great pet, and we wouldn't trade her for the world.