To Our Dear Pets

I am an animal lover. Sometimes I think I should have been a veterinarian, but my fear of gooey sights and perhaps my intimidation of chemistry scared me. I do like my major (Urban Studies), but I might always wonder what Veterinary School would have been for me. To ease that nostalgia I like interacting with animals whenever I can; I volunteer at the Humane Society of my county and I give my pets (currently two cockatiels since I can't have a dog yet) as much love as I can.

Do you have a pet? How do you feel about him/her? Don't you think your days are brighter because of them? Many times we take our pets' love for granted, or think of them only as "accessories" to our lives. In the case of birds, many people have them as an addition to their living space, but they keep them in their cages at all times. We may be good owners, yet sometimes we forget to appreciate our pet's signs of affection. Like when we come home from work, and all we want to do is lay/sit and relax; suddenly a bark, a waving tail, a chirp, a meow show us how excited our pets get because we are home. And do we give them the love they deserve? I hope so. Animals love us for what we really are, they give us their complete trust, they don't judge our actions, they don't get tired of showing us their devotion. So it breaks my heart when people out there don't realize this; they punish an animal for doing something he/she wasn't taught not to do. They steal their freedom only to make them live in a cage when they were born to fly, run, interact, be crazy. They abuse them; they ignore them. (sorry--I'm getting a bit negative and this blog is positive!)

If you want a pet, please give them all the love you can, buy them toys, give them a warm place to rest, make them interact with you and other people. If you think you can't dedicate too much time to them, wait a little more to get one. Research the pet you're getting to see if it meets your expectations. Their lives are usually much shorter than ours, and I think they deserve to live it with someone that will treat them as one more member in the family.

For those of you who have pets, today when you see them, show them you love them, give them a kiss, a belly rub, talk to them. Realize how special their love for us is and give them something in return. Have a lovely day,

xoxo~ Marcela

"Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened." ~ Anatole France

"If having a soul means being able to feel love and loyalty and gratitude, then animals are better off than a lot of humans" ~ James Herriot

PS: This is Paulie, one of my cockatiels. On my sidebar you will find his latest mischiefs.