Pets

Pets are a funny thing, some people get very attached to their pets and buy them clothes and expensive food. Others keep them outside and barely give them any human contact. Some families never have any pets at all, and yet others are hoarders of pets collecting every living thing they can. And the sad bunch is the group that really want pets, but are allergic to them.

Pets enrich our lives everyday. It could be talking to your goldfish while feeding it in the morning, petting the purring cat on your lap, throwing a ball for your dog, or playing with the hamster outside his cage. I think it is kind of weird that God made some animals so right to be domesticated pets. Do you ever wonder when he was creating the animals, he said "I will make dogs to be man's best friend". Sure they help us hunt and protect our homes, but don't you think it is kind of weird how they were created to help humans?

Pets are also very medical. They help people overcome depression, nerves, and help us to heal. And they never ask for anything in return except food and clean water. We are constantly leaving them, and when we return they are not angry with us for being gone all day, they greet us with wagging tails.

I grew up with pets. We always had a small dog in our home growing up. We also had our array of fish, gerbils, lizards and a hamster. My husband and I even had our two cats the year before we even got married, and got our first dog when we had our first "real" house with a back yard. Our first dog Dot passed away last year, mostly from old age. A month after she passed we adopted Bailey the black lab who was already 7 years old. And we still had Lucy the Collie/chow chow mix that we adopted when she was a puppy 12 years ago. Last month Bailey needed to go in for an emergency surgery for a large mass tumor right below her hip. It seemed to be doing better until a few days ago. And unfortunately we had to put her down this evening as there was nothing more the vet could do to help her.

So that is my thought process for this weekend. Pets touch our lives in so many ways. We only had Bailey for a year, but the house seems so incredible quiet without her. It makes you wonder why we put ourselves through this. We know their life expentcy is like 15 years tops, so why do we put ourselves through this pain? Because they become part of our family instantly. I am the one who talked my husband into getting Bailey. He really didn't want another dog so soon after losing Dot. But on the way home from the vet tonight, he said to me "Can we please get a small dog next time?"