I grew up with a cat, whom I loved dearly, but was always jealous of my friends with dogs. My neighbor had a Golden Retriever, and I would visit him and play for hours. After graduating high school, I moved around so much that I didn't feel like I could take care of pet on my own. But a year after landing in Asheville, I met my [now] wife, and immediately fell in love with her cat and dog. They are our children, and we treat them as such. Lily, our Domestic Shorthair cat, is one of the people centric cats I've ever met. She loves to cuddle, and is happy to jump into the lap of a stranger in order to do so. She has learned both the "sit" and "come" command (something that still amazes me coming from a cat). Eve, our 10 year old Husky, loves accompanying us on lengthy backpacking trips, and day hikes. She has been through several levels of training, and knows around a dozen different commands. She loves people.