Sunday, May 1, 2011

Love Me, Love My Pets



For some people the thought of having a pet of any kind can be a no-go area. The responsibility, the expense, the demands of animal ownership can be off-putting. They require a lot of attention and cannot be taken on lightly. And then there is the mess to consider and the fact that at some point they will die.

Animal lovers know all those facts and proceed anyway. They regard all these considerations as an integral part of the responsibility and commitment of taking a living creature into their home. The special bond, connection and love that is felt between pet owners and their animals is a deep spiritual and emotional tie.

Animal lovers also know that each of their animals has their own distinctive personality, look, demands and characteristics. Something that non-animal people do not seem to appreciate or understand is that pets bring a lot to their home. They have their own idiosyncracies, where they like to be fed, where they sleep, how they communicate.

Cats are good at training their owners to accommodate all their needs, to keep radiators warm for them, to search shops hunting to purchase a particular flavour of food that is hard to locate. Cats are often divas, they rule the home and many people say that they have staff not owners. My cats know exactly what they want and I do my best to oblige.

Dogs often give love, loyalty and attention. They can understand people's moods and are good at providing support. Many people value the time spent walking their dog in all weathers, telling them about their problems, thoughts, secrets. When I used to have to travel a lot on business I was regularly up at 4 am, walking my dogs round the park to ensure that they got at least one good walk each day.

Many people would not entertain a partner who did not like animals. Caring for wild or tame animals, big or small, taps into something in our souls and many people feel deeply about animals and their welfare, whether or not they are able to provide one with a home.

When a new relationship appears to be developing it can be difficult to sort out the loyalties at first. Most pet owners want to spend time with their new partner but would not compromise their animals care and attention. But some compromises can be successfully made to suit everyone well.

While appreciating that we come as a total package, us and our animals, it is often possible to safely look after a new relationship and our pets at the same time. Friends and neighbours are often fine about feeding our animals and letting them in and out of the house if we go away for a night or two.

There are now some good businesses who provide animal sitting or support services. This can entail moving into our home, or taking our animals to their home, or calling as often as we want throughout the day to look after our pets.

I've found myself racked with guilt about my animals when I have had to leave them in someone else's care, only to return home and find that they were so well looked after that they hardly missed me. That has got to be a good result and shows how settled and secure they are.



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