I was having a heartbroken kind of day, walking home from Whole Foods, the thoughts in my head playing on tedious repeat, when suddenly, across the street, at the corner of Centre Street and South Huntington, I saw him. My heart fluttered frantically. Worried that he’d leave before I got a chance to say hello, I dashed across the street, almost getting hit by a car. That’s how badly I wanted to meet this dude. He was so handsome, and youthful, and…hairy.

I asked his name. His humans replied “Lenny.” I swooned. Leonard, handsome Leonard. It was love at first sight. And apparently it was mutual, his humans saying that he’s usually really shy, but not with me. Chemistry can’t be explained. Lenny and I had it.

I walked away from the encounter, realizing that my heart, heavy all day, felt full and happy and expansive. That’s the power of dog love. And that’s the moment J.P. Dogs was born.

Truth be told, the reason my heart hurt that day is because Jamaica Plain is a hard place to live if you wanted to have children, but at 41, circumstances are such that you don’t, and most likely won’t. Over the last few years, JP has exploded with baby carriages, and children seem to be tucked in every nook and cranny. I’ve known women who just couldn’t hack it, and moved to less child-plentiful climes of Boston.

I’ve lived in J.P. since 1999. I love it here. What a fortunate place for so many people to raise their children. I don’t want to move just because it’s hard to live in such a family / kid-heavy community, at a time when I’m re-calibrating to a future without my own baby bump, and hipster carriage.

So J.P. Dogs begins, as an uplifting project to shift my focus from babies to dogs, and to meet new people and as many dogs as I can. JP is swimming with them (sometimes literally – go to the beach at Jamaica Pond.)

Send me your photos, and bring on the dogs.