Animal people or non-animal people…

With all the different types of people in the world who all hold different views on religion, politics, environment, lifestyle, what really determines who you connect too?  I have been examining who I inherently get along with and who I don’t.  It isn’t as nearly as simplistic as the title but I think it plays a larger role than I previously gave it credit for.

In retrospect, I have always tended to gravitate to people who have animals in their life for the sake of having an animal.  Not people who ‘own pets’ but people who need animals to be in their life.  I do see a different mindset between some ’pet owners’ and having animal share your life and I am not sure I can adequately explain the difference.  It could simply be because of how my dad viewed animals (and perhaps passed on those feelings onto me or simply because we were of similar souls) and how animals were always part of our family, both those who shared our home and those (the wild animals/birds) who shared our yard.  I don’t have an animal for any other reason that it is what I need, rather than when people simply get a ‘pet’  that is there for their convenience and benefit, i.e. it is good for our child to have a dog and learn to be responsible in caring for the dog.  Or a dog is good to ensure I walk regularly, or to protect our home and the dog has their rug by the door when/if they are inside.  Or simply because everyone has a dog in my circle so I need one to mentality. 

When I was a child our very small dog became friendly with the neighbors dog who was two or three times bigger and (gasp) got pregnant.  Dad stayed close during the delivery and when the last pup had trouble, dad took over because it had been too long.  I will never forget dads face when he realized the puppy wasn’t breathing or the automatic reaction he had of giving mouth to mouth resuscitation to that  tiny puppy.  It seemed like he worked on her for hours and mom kept telling him to let the pup go, but eventually dad’s determination paid off and then he gently laid her down with the other pups to be cleaned and then nursed by our dog the mom.  Dad delivered many babies during his years as a doctor and it was amazing to see this side of him and his reverence for birth.  It was also a very apt time to discuss the birds and the bees with a vivid description of the outcome.  I remember when I went into labor and my cat did something that she had never done before, I had been laying down trying to get comfortable and suddenly she came and laid down, aligned her body around the curve of my belly, as if to absorb the pain inside of mine and she never moved, simply lay there purring and absorbing the contractions happening inside my belly.  She never left my side that day and when I went to the hospital I missed that calming presence by my side.  Years later after I got sick and my dog (only a puppy really) laid on my bed next to me, day in and day out she continued her faithful watch, days turned into weeks and somehow she knew I needed her to keep my spirits up.  I would wake up and she would hover over me wagging her tail.  I would start to drift off and she would lay back down and nap, just content to be by my side.  My bond with my animals transcends the boundaries of those who just ’own pets’, and the reality is that I know that my existence that would be less than, without any of the animals I have had the privilege of having by my side throughout my life. 

Looking back at all my friendships over the years, the ones closest to me share my same thoughts on animals.  Their animals share the couch and heart, they worry about them when they are away from home.  They include their animals needs when choosing where and what type of dwelling inter-mixed with their needs before they make a decision on buying or renting a new home.  They are part of the family, not additions to, or simply the current must have because all their friends have one.

Not having animals in my life would make life less than…what about you?