Thoughts about My Pets

"The difference between friends and pets is that friends we allow into our company, pets we allow into our solitude." ~Robert Brault

I've been thinking a lot lately about life in general and how it morphs and changes almost daily, but there are a few things that are real constants. One of those things is the love that animals develop for their humans, and vice versa. I have watched so many different kinds of people develop "mushy tendencies" when they are around their pets. It is funny how those eyes can melt your heart.

"An animal's eyes have the power to speak a great language." ~Martin Buber

Every day when I arrive home, one of the best moments of the day comes when my two schnauzers, Mitzy and Marley, come bounding out ready to greet - somehow I feel that they have waited for that moment all day long. They are such loving little creatures, and they seem to always understand how I am feeling. Some days they are playful and gregarious. Some days they assume the same quiet mood that I am in. Some days they are almost like a caregiver - they know I want them in close proximity and they are so sensitive that they will put their head on my heart until I give them a hug!

"It often happens that a man is more humanely related to a cat or dog than to any human being." ~Henry David Thoreau

Not that I undervalue my human friends and relatives. I treasure them more deeply than I have words for. It's just that I really do feel that, instinctually, my pets can feel what my mood is more quickly than most people I know. I don't quite understand how they do it, but they do. Mitzy and Marley were both adopted from a pound, so I always feel somehow that they are grateful for the great life that they have now.

Mitzy had a teenage girl as her former owner and she kept running away from home with a "rogue" Boston Terrier, so she had to be given away. Lucky for us, we have her now. (Mitzy even got a name change, from Chloe to Mitzy...) Marley was a dog "from the streets" when I found her. We aren't even completely sure how old she is, because she came without records of any sort. She was truly an orphan dog... but not any longer! She is ours now and as happy as a clam.

"Be it human or animal, touch is a life-giving thing. Has anyone ever had a stroke or a heart attack while cozied up with a pet? I doubt it." ~Robert Brault

The most therapeutic thing that I can imagine is sitting on the couch with my dogs. There is usually one at my feet and one on my lap. I think it is amazing how well my dogs treat me. I love them, and I wish I could have these same dogs forever. I know that Mitzy is getting to be an older dog now because she was 2 when we got her, and my daughter was 10. Now my daughter is 19. That means that Mitzy is about 11. I don't know the maximum age for dogs to live, but I hope Mitzy lives to that age and sets a new record. I love her very much.

"If all the beasts were gone, men would die from a great loneliness of spirit, for whatever happens to the beasts also happens to the man. All things are connected. Whatever befalls the Earth befalls the sons of the Earth." ~Chief Seattle of the Suquamish Tribe


Love your pets. They love you.

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