Happy Valentine’s Day

On this holiday honoring the love we are all lucky enough to have in this life, we honor the love we share with our animals. Here are a few of the ways mine add to my life:

Purring
What is it about a cat’s purr that can calm the human heart? Ben’s loud purr has lost nothing with age. He can be heard purring happily to himself as he strolls by. But his purr is never more perfect than when it is delivered on my lap, where I can both hear and feel his delight. Thank you, Ben, for reminding me of the perfection possible in restful communion.

Play
Sometimes my life seems to be more about rushing than much else. As a friend once said: If you wait to get everything in your life done before you have fun, you’ll never have any fun. Wise words, but words I can forget. Pip does not allow for forgetting. She can make a toy out of anything. Thank you, my sweet, for impishly flipping a sock at me this morning, “forcing” me into a laughter-filled game of fetch.

Perspective
PJ is her own dog, always has been, always will be. While other dogs trust people without question, PJ chooses to trust me. It is a gift, like a chickadee eating from your hand. She also gives me a glimpse back in time to when our two species stood across from each other and thought, “Maybe…”

Positivity
If ever the world invented an optimist it is Bacchus. He’s a German Shepherd Dog with a retriever’s world view. His tee-shirt would read: Wanna be friends? Everything is a good idea: A walk? Great! A swim? Let’s! A couch cuddle? Fabulous idea! On days when I am dwelling on the roads not taken in my life, time spent with him is curative.

Forget being the person my dogs think I am, I’d like to be the person my animals are. Happy Valentine’s Day to my motley crew and to yours; our lives would be less without you.

--Sarah Wilson, MySmartPuppy.com
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Sarah Wilson is a pet behavior specialist, author, media personality, and a regular contributor to Wag Reflex. Sarah's books include, "Dogology", "My Smart Puppy", and "Tails from the Barkside", all available now.

Comments

[Claire on February 15, 2009 at 07:09 AM]

Happy Happy Valentine's Day to you and yours! What lovely reminders of the gifts we share with our pets. :)

[joesen on December 27, 2010 at 09:53 PM]

What is it about a cat’s purr that can calm the human heart? Ben’s loud purr has lost nothing with age. He can be heard purring happily to himself as he strolls by. But his purr is never more perfect than when it is delivered on my lap, where I can both hear and feel his delight. Thank you, Ben, for reminding me of the perfection possible in restful communion.