Welcome to the Moth podcast. I'm S.D. Deveed, the Moth social media coordinator, and your host for this episode.

Today, we're going to be sharing stories about the magic of pets. And I know a little something about the links we'll go to for our furry friends.

In January 2022, I decided to send out invites to my friends and family to my dog

Mukhi's Zoom Bark Mitzvah, a Jewish celebration of his coming of age. Now, Muki wasn't 13 years old,

but he had matured exponentially during the pandemic. From the moment Muki entered our family,

I knew I was going to throw him a bark mitzvah.

The question was when, and what would it look like?

And I mean, what even is a bark mitzvah?

But the invites were out and I needed to just start building something.

I chose a theme, put together an original song, and a slideshow, organized speakers,

wrote out a whole ceremony, and even consulted with my rabbi. On the eve of the Barclis, I had a minor

meltdown because I was worried that I was forcing everybody to come to a frivolous party for a 12-pound

Shih Tzu poodle. I knew what I was doing was silly, but it was also my way of

sharing my profound gratitude for Muki and all of his support throughout quarantine. And it was about

creating a space for the people in my life to share stories about how their pets had impacted them too.

Now, is a bark mitzvah kosher? I still don't know. What I do know is that I felt

connected to my spirituality, my community, and most importantly, mookie, on that momentous day.

So, in honor of National Adopt-A-Shelter Pet Day on April 30th, we'll be sharing two stories

all about how pets bring joy to our lives.

First up is Scott Sanders, who told this at a San Francisco story slam in 2013, where the theme of the night was envy.

Here's Scott live at the moth.

Okay, my tale of envy begins and ends in the baby doll lounge, which was a topless bar in

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