People feel so strongly about their pets, and it’s no wonder. Numerous studies have shown the benefits of having animals in our lives. Animals can make sick people feel better, and depressed people happier.
What cracks me up is the ‘rivalry’ that some people have. Dog people tend to like dog people, cat people tend to like cat people, no pet people tend to like no pet people, and all pet people, tend to like, well, everyone. 
This is hilarious to me. I’ve had dog people say, “ohhhhh, you’re a cat person,” like it’s a negative label, and I’ve had cat people tell me that “Well, you know, she is a DOG person.” Dog people? Cat people? Really? Why aren’t we ‘people with…’? This is one of the funniest darn things that people do.
I have three (gasp) cats, and have had cats all my life. I also like dogs, and fish, and reptiles, and ummm, what do you call them – rodents (mice, guinea pigs, etc)? I would have all kinds of animals if I knew how to take care of them well (which I don’t). Animals are neat, how they all have their own unique personalities, and how they can make you laugh unexpectedly.
And no pet people really don’t get animals. I’ve found that usually no pet people tend to have allergies, or had someone in their family who did. But I think a lot of no pet people see animals as ‘dirty,’ which in a way I guess they are with their fur and droppings. Less dirty than an adorable human little baby, or a human with food poisoning, but I digress.
I really admire ‘all pet’ people–those who seem to have one of everything. To me, it shows a warm heart, and a value of taking care of those less fortunate. Unfortunately animals such as dogs and cats, truly require humans. The days of these animals living in the wild are long gone.
Animal cruelty is one of the saddest things in the world. Hearing stories of animal abuse can break anyone’s heart. Walking into an animal shelter, or even a store with animals in a cage can make you want to ‘protect’ them all, and knowing you can’t, is really hard to walk away from. It takes an act of nobility and sacrifice and a warm heart to adopt an animal.
Most people disagree with me, but as much as I truly love animals, I also understand some testing on animals is necessary–as long as it’s done as compassionately as possible (one can always hope). Yes, it’s a terrible thing, but I also think it’s a necessary thing. If there were enough human volunteers for every animal that’s needed for medical testing, that would be a different thing. Animal tests are necessary for finding cures for HIV, Hepatitis, drugs for organ transplants, and the other big baddies in the world. It breaks all of our hearts, but animal testing does save human lives. The other option, again, would be to find enough volunteers willing to die for a drug gone wrong, and that’s just unlikely to happen. It’s really sad, but there’s a lot of really awful, really sad things in this world. The very fact that there are so many animals that no one takes that have to be put to sleep is also atrocious and terribly sad.
Thank god for people with pets, no matter what their ‘label’ is! Animals bring joy into our lives, and if any animal has made you smile, be glad for it. Life can be really hard, but a person with an animal knows what love is.
Here’s to having a bit more love in your life.
All best,
Rose
