The View From Here – National Pet Day

Did you know that today is National Pet Day?  A day to celebrate our furry friends.  And other types too.   Maybe your pet has gills.  Feathers? Scales?  Eeek.  (smile)  I would love to say I love snakes and reptiles, but I’ll let those animals be loved at someone else’s home.  (smile).

The day originated by Colleen Paige, a renowned animal welfare advocate and lifestyle expert back in 2006. It is based on spreading public awareness about animals at homes and shelter homes.
And even though it might be celebrated in other countries, the day first started in the U.S. The significance of this day revolves around the improvement of psychological health as pets keep the environment charged and happy. They calm the surroundings by reducing stress. Is that AFTER the puppy stage?  #notaskingforafriend -(smile)

Officials say most households in the United States have at least one pet. Not just cats and dogs.  People have a lot of love for all kinds of animals.  Guinea pigs, chinchillas, bearded dragons, sugar gliders and hamsters.  Fish, turtles, birds. Did I leave any out?  Having pets around has been shown to lower blood pressure, cut stress and boost your happiness.  Those feel good hormones get released just being close to our pets.

Yes, we love our pets.

I have always had an animal in my house.  Since I was born we have always had a dog.   As a teenager, we lived in the country and had many, many cats.   The first “pet” I ever had of my own was a goldfish that I kept in my bedroom. Not for long, if I remember right.  (smile)

My kids have had fish, and hamsters, and now we have a cat (Sheldon) and a puppy (Maggie May) to complete our little family.  I was never a cat person until I met my husband.  He had a beautiful cat who I swear absolutely hated me.  (smile).    But I learned to love that cat, she tolerated my presence (smile)and after she died, it broke our hearts.

It took some time to bring a new kitty to love into our home. Our pets have this way of staying in our hearts.

Cue Sheldon.  A beautiful, spunky, shy little barn cat who came into our lives one Thanksgiving weekend.   Now he silently rules the roost so to speak.  Just like the character he’s named after, he does indeed have his own “spot” in the house which he is allowed to change his mind on at any given time, because, well, he’s a cat.  He does what he wants, when he wants.

Maggie, our Husky/Lab mix,  came along just after Christmas.  Five months old now.  38 pounds.   She has brought so much joy to our lives it’s hard to imagine a day without her.  Even with her mischievous ways, chewing and biting, and basically being a “puppy”, she makes us smile every single day.  We still have a little hamster that runs around, and makes all kinds of noises, and bites me whenever I try to place nice.  Somehow I have taken over care of the rodent, and I say I don’t like her, but she knows different. (smile)

I sometimes wonder what they think of us.  The things they must say to each other when we aren’t around.  “Do you hear the way they talk to us? Those baby voices are ridiculous.  Did you see her face when I took her shoe? I can’t wait to see what happens when finds the laces missing. Did you see how I scratched her chair?”

I can only imagine what they think of us.  The conversations they must have when we aren’t around.

All I know is life is so much better with our furry friends in it.

Categorised in: Afternoons

This post was written by Carrie Buchanan