I believe owning a pet can teach a child responsibility, commitment and empathy. Responsibility is required to take care of the pet, while commitment is shown through the continuance of responsibility. Why empathy, you ask?
My first cat, Hershey, was a stray I found when I was seven. Hershey was a kitten born with only one eye. When a vet checked him out and thought he wouldn’t live long, she did a kind move and didn’t charge for neutering him. Hershey survived for six more years and this cat became my best friend. He’d show me affection and sleep on my bed at night to keep me safe in the dark. This cat was better than a nightlight. I would never dream of thinking less of him because of his one eye.
Cookie is the cat I currently own. She is a remarkable mother cat and you can tell she actually cares for her kittens, especially in contrast with her neglectful sister Nitro would could care less what happens to her kittens. One of Nitro’s litters was completely ignored and I desperately tried to save the remaining kittens. Finally, there was only one kitten left and I gave him to Cookie. She literally nursed him back to health.
On another occasion, a woman was giving away kittens in a parking lot. For fear of what could befall the last kitten, my dad took it home. Once again, Cookie willingly became a surrogate mother.
You definitely can learn empathy from pets. You just have to pay attention.
Animals make an impact on us in MANY different ways. Everyone should atleast have one pet. cuuute blog. haha.
sonnielove.♥.
I agree, animals do have such a big impact on our lives. Not everyone can understand that.
I thought it was cute too, but then again I'm biased.
Awwww... I love my kitties. You are an angel for rescuing cats (and especially for getting them spayed/neutered).
Although my significant other says that my one cat, MacKenzie, is decidedly evil. I think his precise words were, "From the bowels of hell." But I think she is beautiful, sweet, and caring. Even if she does talk a lot.
Ha! "From the bowels of hell..." That's a quote to remember.
My Cookie has been quite talkative lately. At first we thought she was in heat, but this has lasted for like 3 months now... My new theory is she's just lonely. All the boys were kicked outside and they go off on their own adventures. Cook is the only indoor kitty now, and she's used to having a couple of younger cats around.
Hershey is a very good name. You like candy don't you( Hershey cookie)? lol just kidding.I am more of a dog person but I have 3 cats. My favorite cat was 13 years old and he really did have 9 lives. He lived outside and someone had tried to poison him, He had been hit by a car 2 times, His mouth got infected, and everything. His name was scamper. I watched him die also. It was sad. But the good thing is he mated with a 2 female cats and they had kittens. I have his offspring. I have a 130 lb Shepard/Lab/German Shepard mix and his sister. His name is comet and he is the smartest dog I ever had. You can't spell in front of him because he knows what you are saying. Sugar his sister used to be my bestfriends dog but her mom and my friend used to neglect her and beat her so we took her. Pets are loyal, they don't care what you look like, or anything. They truly are there for a person through thick and thin and that is truly loyalty that you sometimes can't find in people
I am here to inform and help:
http://www.progressiveu.org/032913-lupus-uncureable-wait-what
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Hershey and Cookie were ironic I suppose. They both looked alike (black and white) but their names were the only other similarity.
I've had some weird cat names. Hershey, Cookie, Trinket, Alpha, Beta...and several others. Cookie loves having kittens I suppose, so if a kitten isn't given away I have to quickly come up with a name! Trink was an interesting case. I was so certain that Trinket was a cute girl name...and then the cat turned out to be a boy, so I shortened it to "Trink". Alpha and Beta were twins. The two kittens I've got now, both halfway grown at this point, are both tiger-striped again. I couldn't come up with good names, so I decided to be scholarly and call them Cornelious and Galileo. Problem is..I keep forgetting who is who!
I used to have a goat. His name was Billy.
I've had several dogs: Wiley, Ozzy, Butch, and Bo.
My rabbit is the Devil. Her name is innocent enough though, Daisy.
I've had two guinea pigs: Pat and Chester.
The ducks, chickens, fish, and turkeys would sometimes get names too.
...I've had way too many pets. I didn't even mention the turtle, the parakeets, etc...
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We had to have our dog put to sleep this morning. He got very sick over the weekend, and we found out last night that he had diabetes. His blood sugar was over 500. We don't know how much over because their monitor didn't go any higher than 500. If he had ONLY had diabetes, we would have started insulin treatment, but he also had a tumor on his liver that elevated his enzymes so much he could take any medication or even change his diet in the slightest without getting sick. He had chronic pancreatitis, an enlarged spleen, and a grade 5 heart murmur. His mental capacity was diminishing and he had begun eating things that were inedible and would kill him. We were looking at a diabetic coma, or a heart attack, or a choking death, or liver failure.
We decided to put him down while he was still able to feel happy and still able to recognize us. But the decision was terribly painful, and we cried all night. He spent the night consoling us. He just stood very quietly next to us or sat on our laps, and every now and then licked our hands. He did the same thing at my brother's funeral, so I know it was his way of consoling us, and not just him feeling sick. But even sick, he just loved us and protected us. We took him to the vet this morning, and it was the first time he ever entered that building without shaking. He's always been terrified of the vet, but not today. I think he knew.
I miss him so much right now. There's no soft body to snuggle me happy.
http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/ediblewoman
I'm sorry you had to put your dog to sleep. Was that the geriatric schnauzer?
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He was fourteen. At least. We found him twelve years ago, so we don't really know how old he was. (The vet said he was at least two when we found him, because he had all his big boy teeth). But he was the best dog ever for twelve years.
http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/ediblewoman