Pets are Much More...

I usually go through FB. Today, I saw a picture of my niece’s dog, Sadie. Sadie became her dog after her father died. Her dad was my brother. I know how Julie must feel. Pets are special and more.

The night my brother died, I stayed at his house and slept in his bed with Sadie. Sadie knew something was wrong. She slept with me and gave me a lot of comfort that night. I needed it. Oddly, I slept well that night.

There were another times that an animal gave me comfort. The first time was when I took a kitten from our greenhouse because they were going to take her to the Human Society. The kitten was black and white and fluffy. I drove home with the kitten sitting on my lap, meowing at the highest decibel possible. At first, I named the kitten Fluffy but later changed it to Scraps, when it kept grabbing food out of my hand. Scraps comforted me when my marriage ended. She was my constant companion until she passed away.

The next day after Scraps died…I went into the greenhouse to work. I was sad and as I entered the greenhouse, I saw the greenhouse cat, Tonka sleeping in her bed. I went over and Tonka woke up and meowed. I petted her for a long time and looked at him, and then I went to plant in another greenhouse. Tonka followed me that day and slept on my work bench, close by. Every time I looked over and talked to him, he meowed, as if to say, "Everything is going to be okay." When the day was over, I petted Tonka and said, “You know. Thank you.”

Animals become substitutes. We have a special bond with them. They are like lightning rods. They seem to know when we are happy, down, or totally sad.

I am truly sorry for my niece’s loss of Sadie. Sadie was a pleasant reminder of her Dad; a close connection.  If I have any advice to give…give it time and then get another pet. They need a home; a loving home and they give back a hundredfold.