Symbol of Trust

"Dad - i wanna go play in the rain.  Can i go play - pleeeeease?"

Look at these guys. Look at these faces. There’s something very special about the bond between our animal friends and us. We might not quite be able to put our fingers on it – some might say it’s unconditional love. Others would say friendship. Or say their zany antics are what give them a special place in our hearts. Whatever the case, we have all felt it. Haven’t we?

Every once in a while, i run across a person who doesn’t like animals. I’m not talking about the “i don’t like little dogs,” or the “i hate cats,” kind of people. But the all-out, “i don’t like animals no matter what shape, size, or color,” kind of people. A statement like that momentarily stops my brain from functioning. My recovery is jump-started by a barrage of questions aimed at clarifying what i perceive as my misunderstanding. “What? You don’t like cats? You don’t like dogs? Birds? Horses? What – not even fish?” At this point i find myself in a very rare situation. Speechlessness. Because this is truly baffling to me. But something else happens when i learn that a person doesn’t like animals. I immediately pull away. Maybe not physically, but emotionally i feel a barrier go up. Something about a person who cannot like an animal hits some fundamental nerve – and i cannot fully trust them. They are one step away from those who also don’t like animals but lie about it. And instead have pets they treat cruelly, even torture or kill, with the indifferent rationale that, “It’s just an animal. Who cares?”


Thankfully that’s not the majority of people. We love our little Fluffy’s, Smokey’s, and Polly’s. They make us feel good about ourselves in a sometimes very harsh world. They’re like Prudential – they are the Rock when it comes to calming our souls and soothing our hearts. They possess unwavering, supportive healing powers. And that’s something you can count on.

"!!! Psst! Go 'way silly human! Givin' 'way my secret, invisible, ninja, hiding spot!"