"Only Dog"

 

        

        Want to push someone’s buttons? Tell them you don’t intend on getting any more pets! When our Sassy Cat died several years ago, family members immediately began pressuring us to adopt another cat.
            One niece attempted the guilt trip first. “You should be ashamed of yourself for not getting another cat. Look at all of the kittens and strays available! You could be protecting them. Saving them!”
            When I explained, “It’s too heartbreaking to lose a pet.”
            Her claws came out, “I have no respect for people who don’t adopt pets. You can’t be a good person if you don’t get a new cat or kitten!”
            This particular niece always seemed to have a pet ill or dying, and constantly replaced them. She often also had four or five cats and multiple dogs in her household all at once. In contrast, our pets lived long, healthy and full lives. Our cats each lived at least twelve years while our dogs for more than fourteen. I tried to explain to her about really loving these unique personalities, and I told her that their part in our family couldn’t be filled like replacing a broken toy. 

            Every day, I post on Facebook delightful pictures of puppies, kittens, dogs and cats available at our Live Oak Animal Control center without even the slightest temptation to bring home another family pet. However, our decision to shift to a pet free family continues to this day. Padme (Princess I’m a Dolly Kitty) left us few years after Sassy.  Our beautiful Bridget died two years ago right around Christmas. I don’t let people guilt me into another pet. Our pack may be small, yet Koi seem fine with being an only dog.

 

Copyright 2020 Elizabeth Abrams Chapman