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A dog? Why would I get a dog at this stage of my life?

"But, you've got to see this dog. He is so cute and cuddly." So said my son's girlfriend, Roz. She owns a veterinary clinic and this little guy was brought in as a stray - no collar, no vaccines, no micro chips, nothing. A messy, matted hairball. "He'll be adopted in no time," she warned. Her staff named him "Bobby."

Okay, so I drove to the clinic to check "Bobby" out. What can I say? He was adorable and he snuggled into my arms when I picked him up. He slid into my heart just the way Cosmo Kramer would always slide into Seinfeld's apartment on the TV sitcom. And because "Bobby's" hair was just as wild as Kramer's, I renamed him Cosmo and brought him home.

We haven't had a dog in our house in 20 years. Not since our sweet female yellow Labrador retriever died. How could we ever replace her? I used to call her my best baby. Why? "She licks my feet," I explained to my daughter. "You and your brother don't."

My husband was not on board. "Don't bring a dog home," he said. But I couldn't resist Cosmo's charms. He was just so doggone cute.

He was also not house trained. "It's only going to get worse," my husband declared. He said this every time Cosmo peed in the house.

"No," I told him. "It will get better. He'll be trained." I repeated this phrase to myself every time I cleaned up after one of Cosmo's accidents. But then even I considered giving him up for adoption after wiping up one too many puddles.

My 7-year-old grandson's Little League teammate fell in love with Cosmo when we brought him to a game. "Please can we take him home?" he pleaded with his mom.

"Maybe we should let your friend take Cosmo," I said to my grandson. "He's sad because his dog just died."

"He'll get over it," he replied. "Cosmo stays with us." And then, as if to prove his point, he took hold of Cosmo's leash and ran with him toward the dugout.

How could I disappoint my grandson? How could I resist Cosmo's adorable face?

"It's only because you're so cute that you're still here," I tell him as he snuggles with me on the couch.

My husband has grown to love him, too. Whenever he takes a nap, Cosmo is right there with him lying on top of his chest. The two of them snoring contentedly.

As for me, I knew for sure that Cosmo was a keeper the night he got up and was twirling on his hind legs while I was watching "Dancing With the Stars." I had gotten up to dance along to a Kenny Loggins' song. And Cosmo was dancing right along with me. My new dancing partner.

Both of us "footloose" and fancy free.

- Natalie Cinelli

Natalie Cinelli is a freelance writer who has had articles published in the Boston Globe, the Boston Herald and American Baby magazine. She wrote a humor column, "In a Nutshell," for the Suburban News in Reading, Massachusetts. She also worked as a lifestyle editor and columnist for the Lawrence Eagle Tribune in Lawrence, Massachusetts.