THEN I'M NOT GOING!

So I sent a message up to Heaven the other night and it went something like this. I said, “Dear God, I need to talk to you about something that’s been weighing heavy on my mind. I’ve got a confession to make to you. You might be disappointed in me, but here goes anyway. I like animals better than most people! Oh I know that’s not what you might want to hear, but you always taught me thou shall not tell a lie. And one more thing…..if there’s no animals in heaven, then I’m not going. So there you have it. Do with me what you must, but please don’t send me to someplace where there are no animals.”



Dogs, cats, horses, lizards and birds……Oh my! Animals can teach man a thing or two about living. Just what is it that animals want us to know and what can we learn from them?



I’m an animal lover, but I especially love dogs. I own three of them. Although if you were to ask one of them, she’d tell you that she owns me. My breed of choice is the German Shepherd just because I always thought that they epitomized what a dog should be. They combine nobility, beauty and intelligence and it’s all wrapped up in one animal.



I could probably write a book about what it is that a dog can teach us, but one question I would love to know. How come they always love us even when we’re at our most unlovable self? How do they do that? And probably a better question would be is “WHY?” This is my own take on it. It’s what all the books try to sell us on about what human love should be all about. They tell us it’s about this thing called unconditional love. I don’t know that I quite buy in to that notion when it comes to people, but boy, oh boy, live with a dog and you’ll know unquestionably what those two words mean! Dogs are probably the most unselfish, uninhibited, unapologetic creatures when it comes to showing their love.



Dog’s probably have one of the most co-dependent of relationships with humans. They are some of the most “needy” of all animals. It’s almost impossible for them to live happily ever after without a person in their life. Well, just think about it for a moment. As I said, they love unconditionally without any questions. Their love knows no boundaries. Kick them when they’re down and they come back for more. Yell, scream, and call them every name in the book if you want, and they’ll still come wagging their tails just as happy as can be if you were to call them a minute later. If you’re moody or cranky and don’t want to be bothered, they cheerfully accept you just the way you are. So if it’s unconditional love that you’re after, then get yourself a dog!





And then there are cats. Now in the cat’s world (is there really any other?) she lives for herself and realizes that one can’t live for love alone. But of course if you want to love her, she’ll let you know when that is convenient for you to do so. She can teach us a thing or two about not “being that in to you.” She can certainly teach us ladies about keeping the mystery alive in a relationship by being unaccountable, independent, and sometimes almost unreachable. She could write a best seller on the subject! She knows it’s all in the chase and she’s never going to let you catch her!...........unless of course she wants you too!



And what about those birds? How come they get up each and every morning and they’re singing just as happily as can be? I mean it’s like they don’t have a care in the world! What’s up with that? What do they have to be so happy about anyway? What is it that they know, that we don’t? I mean it’s like they never have a headache or anything. Now I can certainly appreciate the melodies some of these little song birds sing, but then there’s the crow! Oh my goodness, he doesn’t know what it means to carry a tune. His squawking can go on and on and on for what seems like hours. You certainly don’t need an alarm clock with this guy around. You see, all creatures have a reason to be here after all!!!



Yup, we can certainly learn many things from animals. Entertaining, amusing, loving, affectionate, never carrying a grudge, and appreciative are just a few of the virtues of animals. I wish more people were like that!