Must love dogs

With all honesty, I can finally say I found the perfect guy. He misses me when I'm gone, he'll sit through "Harry and Sally" without complaint, he doesn't mind morning breath and he understands what the word "No" means. Unfortunately he only weighs 20 pounds, drinks out of the toilet and eats socks. His name is Bubba, my 3-year-old Shih Tzu.\nIn a poll of 1,000 adults conducted by the American Kennel Club, almost 90 percent agreed their dog had at least one endearing quality they would like to see in their beau. Even more surprising, 34 percent of dog owners agreed to the statement, "If my dog was a man, he'd be my boyfriend." \nFace it guys, women love their dogs and unless you plan on being in a good mood every hour of the day and being overzealously willing to snuggle on the couch, you've got some serious competition.\nIn the AKC survey, 66 percent of dog owners said they wouldn't even consider dating someone who did not like their dog. This confirms that dogs are so important to their owners that they can, in some cases, make or break a relationship. In fact, that's the concept behind www.DateMyPet.com, a dating Web site that goes by the motto: "If you want to date me, you have to date my pet." It's a dog park on the Internet -- minus the pooper-scoopers.\nThere is no doubt in my mind that in today's society, pets are family. According to an American Animal Hospital Association survey, most pet owners would rather be stranded on a desert island with their pet than with a human. Hotels offer pet-friendly rooms, restaurants allow dogs to sit with their owners on the patio and cruise lines offer a "Pets on Deck" service. And when it comes to failed relationships, 60 percent of those polled said they'd definitely get custody of the dog ... even if they had to fight it out in Judge Judy's courtroom. \nBut beyond being members of the family, I don't think I'm speaking for myself when I say that in most households today, the dog rules the roost. In Hollywood especially, it's not uncommon for a dog to have his own Mediterranean villa like supermodel Rachel Hunter's dogs, to be totted around in a signature Louis Vuitton carrier like Jessica Simpson's pampered pooch or to have a wardrobe worth more than most people's homes like Tinkerbell, Paris Hilton's dog. \nNot everyone wants to accept the dog as a full-fledged family member just yet. My dad still complains that animals belong outside and if he had it his way (rest assured he doesn't), our dogs would be living in the backyard along with their diamond-studded collars and gourmet-filled food bowls. My mom, on the other hand, buys bakery dog cakes for our furry companion's birthdays and allows them to take up more space on the bed than my father. \nI have accepted the fact that no man will ever be as congenial as my four-legged pal. And while I realize it will be difficult, if not impossible, to find a man to match Bubba's loyalty and perennial good mood, there is one characteristic this lucky guy cannot be without: Must Love Dogs.