The Joy of Pets
It is not possible for me to publish my Blog without making reference to the late Queen Elizabeth II. We are in the midst of ten days of mourning and the State Funeral will be held on Monday. The BBC has had almost constant footage, not only of the journey of the coffin from Scotland to Westminster and of the thousands of people paying their respects, but also interviews with people who knew the Queen well. A lot has been said about her devotion to duty, her long and unstinting service, her sense of humour and her strong faith. There has also been mention of her love of animals – her corgis and her horses – and I was pleased to read that the corgis will be cared for by Prince Andrew and Sarah. It is clear that she had an affinity with animals and genuinely loved her dogs and her horses. I enjoyed watching a TV programme which showed the Queen working her sheepdogs at Balmoral. Some commentators have said that the Queen was actually shy and used her animals as a way to start a conversation.
“You can usually tell that a man is good if he has a dog who loves him.” – W. Bruce Cameron (author, A Dog’s Journey)
I was fortunate to grow up in a home where pets were encouraged. We always had a dog and sometimes a cat. In addition, there were chickens, budgies and canaries at various times. Since having my own children, we have also had a dog and cat as well as hamsters (not long-lived), a mouse that escaped and was never seen again and daughter had a horse. I can understand why some people don’t want to keep pets, but I do feel that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. Children learn to take responsibility at an early age. They learn discipline and compassion, and they learn about loss. These are essential life skills that they need when they become adults.
My mother loved horses. She grew up on a farm and had plenty of opportunity to ride when she was young. As an adult, the opportunity wasn’t there and she could only talk longingly of horses. I had no opportunity of even getting close to a horse when I was growing up, but I did go through a phase of reading pony club books and pretending to ride, mounted on the veranda wall with a rope tied around the pillar. It wasn’t until at university that I had my first opportunity to meet a horse. He was a large black stallion belonging to a friend of mine and she was keen for me to see him. To my shame, I peered around the corner and said “he’s lovely”, but was too scared to go any closer. My father’s father was a mounted policeman, so I assume that he had an affinity for horses, which I don’t seem to have inherited. I did have a wonderful holiday with work colleagues when we went on a pony trek in Lesotho. The ponies were very docile and sure-footed; they just plodded along although the more skilful riders (not me) were able to make them go a lot faster. The closest I got to bonding with a horse, was when daughter’s horse Molly fell ill with laminitis. Daughter was working away from home during the week and I had to tend to Molly, giving her medication, food and water. It was only a few days, but I grew very fond of Molly and was heart-broken when daughter came back to find that Molly had collapsed and needed to be put down.
Our dog Benji died shortly after Tom died and I waited a year before getting Suki. Getting another dog was the best decision that I made when I contemplated my future without Tom. It wasn’t a decision taken lightly. I knew that it would tie me down. It would be an expense. It would mean getting up early in the morning and going out again last thing at night. But, on the other hand, it would give me companionship and force me to go out for a daily walk in all weathers. Seven years on, I say a daily “thank you” for Suki. She is the friendliest, happiest little dog imaginable. She loves her walks and she loves to play. She is also very funny and makes me laugh. She always greets me with delight when I come home, even if I have only been out for a short while.
We can all learn a lot from dogs, even if we don’t like them:
- They love unconditionally
- They are loyal
- They greet everyone with enthusiasm
- They love to run and play
- They make the most of the outdoors
- They don’t hold grudges
- They enjoy their food
- They drink plenty of water
Dogs are our link to paradise. They don’t know evil or jealousy or discontent. To sit with a dog on a hillside on a glorious afternoon is to be back in Eden, where doing nothing was not boring — it was peace
Milan Kundera (Author, The Unbearable Lightness of Being)
Dogs do speak, but only to those who know how to listen
Orhan Pamuk (author, My Name Is Red)
I love reading your posts Marlene. We have had Sky news on all day, every day since last Thursday. We are now away caravanning in Namaqualand and will try to watch the funeral on my laptop. The Queen’s pets and most of the world will truly miss her. I agree that kids should be raised with pets. We also always had dogs and cats in our home. We miss them now we’re retired but because of our Gypsy lifestyle can’t keep an animal anymore. We have to make do with petting the pets of others