Oh, Brandon, I am so sorry that you will never be getting married -- just an assumption based on the "absolutely necessary" comment that just screams control freak.

Before we were married, my husband claimed to not like cats but I brought one with me when we tied the knot and -- except for cleaning the litter box -- he has become her primary caregiver and object of her utmost and undying affection and the feelings appear to be mutual. She is a very vocal cat and I have even heard him "speaking" to her in her native tongue (mimicking the noises that she makes).

I also had a dog prior to the nuptials (which I'm sure helped cushion the blow of the cat) and, when I moved from my house with a fenced-in yard in Indiana to an apartment in Minnesota, arrangements had to be made for exercise and the dog parks were just the ticket. We since moved to a townhome (still no fenced yard) and graduated to a second dog in August; sadly, we are now back to just one dog due to having to euthanize our 10-year-old German shepherd in February. The dog parks provide a place for dogs to socialize -- yes dogs need friends, too! -- as well as a safe environment for letting the dogs off leash to run, run, run. Unfortunately, I cannot run as fast as my dog and trying to do so from the back end of a leash would mean either my arms would be pulled from their sockets or I would have some serious road rash from the crash and burn of the fall trying to keep up.

Even when I did have a suitable yard, I still took my dog on walks and, for lack of a dog park nearby, let her run free with me on the fenced-in track of a neighborhood school. I would not have let her loose if others were on the track unless I asked them first if they would mind and I always clean up after my dog -- whether I'm in my own yard, walking down a street or in a dog park.

Plus, just the entertainment value of watching these dogs let loose in the dog parks is something I would pay watch if I had to. Have you ever been to an organized dog show? While those are fun to watch, too, they have nothing on the carefree romping of the dog parks. I'm headed out to the one at Cleary Lake after work tonight if you want to join me! It's 35 acres of doggone fun and you might meet the woman of your dreams there!