There’s a reason so many people would rather spend time with pets rather than our fellow humans. For the few who can’t understand why, just watch an hour or so of reality television or the talking heads on any cable news show. Soon you’ll understand.
The unconditional love given by animals is unlike anything another human can give regardless of how strong a person’s relationship is with his or her partner or parents.
While human representatives from all over the political spectrum constantly judge, condone, disapprove or applaud specific segments of society, our pets simply sit, stay and wait to adore us.
Our pets don’t care if we’re gay or straight, if we’re single or partnered, and they don’t give us that shameful look after we do something we know in our hearts deserves such a gaze. Their focus, especially of dogs, is on us and the time we spend with them. Cats, admittedly, simply focus on our ability to keep their food dish filled. But that makes them no less loveable.
No wonder so many LGBT people have pets, considering how judgmental the world can be concerning LGBT equality.
According to a recent, online national survey by Harris Interactive, seven out of 10 LGBT adults said they own pets, compared to 60% of heterosexuals who responded to the same survey. More than 90% of LGBT responses said those pets are considered members of the family and the number who claimed to be dog owners was statistically equal to self-proclaimed cat lovers.
I come from a family of animal lovers. I watch my pets with rapt attention and I like to think I can tell when they’re feeling bad or are aging. Their mindset directly ties into mine if they’re not happy, I’m not happy. When they’re content and my dog’s tail wags or my cat paws at my arm as she greets me, my mood greatly improves.
So when I see an animal treated as property rather than as a part of the family, it breaks my heart. I witnessed that treatment of an animal first-hand recently and it has effectively resulted in an increase of my monthly dog food bill.
In mid-October the family living next door moved. My partner and I only knew the neighbors by casual waves from the vehicle as we’d navigate our neighborhood. But we knew their dogs, and we were surprised to see their brown and white pooch scavenging for food in the front yard a day after the move.
After she greedily enjoyed the dog food we offered, I carried her inside, where she was thoroughly investigated by our dogs and then transported to the bath tub for a much-needed cleaning. Soon after, she was clamoring to get back outside and to her old home, where I was convinced there was nothing for her.
I was wrong.
The adorable dog managed to scramble through a window of her old home where she had six newborn puppies awaiting dinner. After a quick conversation with the homeowner, who contacted the former tenant and said animal control had been alerted about the dog, momma dog and the puppies were relocated to our extra bedroom. They’ve been there for two weeks and are growing daily and making more noise with each feeding.
All six pit bull mix puppies appear healthy and several friends and acquaintances have stepped forward saying they will happily give a lucky pup a happy, loving home.
I am not an animal expert in the traditional sense. I never studied animal behavior or the sciences associated with it, but I know dogs are smarter than many of us give them credit for. The dog we found knows its now in a better environment and you can see it in her expression, and that lifts my spirits. Undoubtedly, she has found a permanent home.
In a world that has become more divided by partisan politics, religious condemnation and heated debates over the mundane, I’m happy that at the end of the day I can curl up and simply experience unconditional love from beings that are just happy to have me near. They simply don’t care whom I love or what my political affiliation may be.
That’s a skill I hope we can all learn.
