October 28, 2009

“I keep my friends, as misers do their treasures, because, of all things granted us by wisdom, none is greater or better than friendship.” 

--Pietro Aretino

As I get older (can you tell I just had a birthday?), I realize how important friends are…and how much more difficult it is to make new friends.  Sure, there are people I like a lot, but few of us really share the same interests.  Then, there are the long-time friends that I have everything in common with, including history, but most live hundreds of miles away.

Fewer and fewer friends are why pets are so important in many of our lives.  They’re always there for us, they are wonderful listeners, and, short of going out to dinner and a movie together, they are great companions.  In short, pets are our friends.  Aren’t we lucky to have them?

October 21, 2009

It is an important and popular fact that things are not always what they seem.  For instance, on the planet Earth, man had always assumed that he was more intelligent than dolphins because he had achieved so much - the wheel, New York, wars and so on - whilst all the dolphins had ever done was muck about in the water having a good time.  But conversely, the dolphins had always believed that they were far more intelligent than man - for precisely the same reasons. 

~Douglas Adams, The Hitch-Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy

October 14, 2009

"The love for all living creatures is the most noble attribute of man."

–Charles Darwin

October 7, 2009

“A lady of 47 who has been married 27 years and has six children knows what love really is and once described for to me like this:  ‘Love is what you’ve been through with somebody.’    –James Thurber

When it comes to the bonds we share with our pets, what they help us get through makes us love them even more.

Horses lend their strength when marriages fall apart, dogs lick the tears from our faces when family members die, cats curl on our laps and purr with the joy of our company after we’ve had long, lonely days without friends.  And, when our pets need us, the fierce dedication and commitment we show for them cements our bonds even deeper.

“Love is what you’ve been through with somebody.”  If we took a lesson from our pets, the hard times could make our relationships stronger, instead of tearing them apart.