I'm not what you would call a "dog person."

Sure, I had pets as a kid - a couple of random, unexcitable goldfish, and a bitter old cat who wandered the hallways with snobbish indifference. Not exactly man's best friends.

So when my girlfriend, Kayla - bless her heart - told me her plans to adopt a pair of dogs from the local animal shelter, I was a tad apprehensive.

"Dogs smell," said I. "We have to walk them all the time. They're expensive. They poop everywhere. No!"

Shortly thereafter she brought home two big chocolate labs, Tom and Huck (cute, eh?). Two brothers, 9 years old, gray in the snout but young at heart.

Great, I thought, as I watched them drool and slobber. We couldn't get small, easily-managed dogs. We got giants!

Kayla was thrilled, of course. She was beaming with happiness. She'd grown up with dogs, and now that we had two of our own it was like a little family, all cute and domestic, highly troubling.

Our rental house is not big. It has one main floor, two bedrooms and an unfinished basement. The boys are not small - especially Tom, the beefy one, who weighs in around 75 pounds - so when all four of us are in the family room things get a little crowded.

But I'll admit, the dogs are well-behaved. They were potty-trained out of the shelter; they've never had an accident in the house. They love to play fetch with sticks or tennis balls, and since they're old men they get tired in about 15 minutes, which is nice.

Most importantly for me, a light sleeper, Tom and Huck go to bed early and stay in late.

And I suppose they are kind of cute. Well, maybe more handsome than cute, with their gray hair and floppy ears and stately good looks. Two bachelors out on the town.

Handling the dogs became a little easier last week, when Kayla and I finally finished the backyard fence we'd been building for months. With the help of some friends, we dug the post holes, screwed in the supports and strung the wire. It was a time-consuming process, but now the boys can roam throughout the yard, unfettered by line or leash, and they clearly enjoy their newfound freedom. And I'm sure we'll love that fence even more when winter rolls around.

Funny story about Tom and Huck. They arrived at the shelter off the street, like many dogs do, and stayed there for six months. Now, about the time Kayla was making her plans, our very own city editor at the Coeur d'Alene Press, Bill Buley, adopted two dogs from the shelter - two labs, two brothers, just like Tom and Huck.

Coincidentally, Kayla picked up our dogs just a few days after Bill brought home his. I didn't know this until a few weeks ago, when I told Bill about Tom and Huck, he told me about Lucky and Scar, and we made the connection.

Small world.

So, I guess I'm starting to like our dogs. A good indication is the entire column I just wrote about Tom and Huck. I'm still a long way from Kayla, who loves all critters with unabashed enthusiasm, but I'm coming along.

You could even say I'm a dog person.

Nick Rotunno is a reporter with the Press. He can be reached at 664-8176, Ext. 2021, or nrotunno@cdapress.com.