As a no kill proponent, long time foster and shelter volunteer, since 1983. I agree with some points. Some pets are truly mentally ill and no amount of training or drugs will fix their aggression or issues. Sometimes the medical costs to help a suffering animal are very high. An owner must weigh out the pet’s quality of life with the costs. Or decide if spending money on their human family or fur-family is best overall. Sometimes animals are found after having been hit by cars or are so starved that they will not recover fully. It is most humane to euthanize these animals. But my Molly is an example of a dog raised since birth in shelters. She is the most lovable and happiest pet a person could ask for. I waited several months in order to be matched with a pet, thought it was a lost cause, then a local shelter had Molly on their website. She has a grumpy face with a deep underbite. I was told her sweet grumpy face was off-putting to many people. I find it endearing and she has a home with me for the rest of her life. She is spayed, has all her inoculations, and is wonderful with everyone, adults and children alike. Even my dog-fearing 8 year old grand niece, after my father told her that I only adopt ugly dogs. My niece told him Pepere, Molly is beautiful on the inside. I love her and she’s not an ugly dog. I loved her already, but this put an extra special stamp on her personality passport in my eyes. She loves everyone.
Kill shelters put them down, fake shelters won’t spend the money for any care except what is required by law, a health certificate and a rabies shot. The health check is a 5 minute exam, just enough to sign the health certificate. Old animals never get teeth cleaned, unlike at real shelters, where animals get full vet checks and all shots brought up to date.
Purring releases endorphins in cats, and it can do the same thing in humans, too. Lowered stress hormones are helpful for healing, lowering blood pressure, and helping people cope with illness, too.
I would have siblings where one would sleep in the armpit, the other between my legs. Waking up in the morning, typically the leg one would have jammed his entire body between my head and the pillow, making HIM the pillow!
This pair, the mother disappeared at 4 weeks old. Had to bottle-feed the entire litter several times a day until they were self-sufficient. Eventually one of them became close enough that he would be on the hood of my car, pawing at the windshield, before I even had it in park. Open the door and he’d hop up on the roof then my left shoulder so we could go inside together.
The missing mother, people used to ask what breed of dog she was because of how she acted. She would walk 3 blocks with me to the store on a perfect heel. She would even stop on the corners and wait for me to cross. At the store she would wait patiently outside for a treat, then I’d tell her she could go; she would then bound through backyards and be waiting for me on the front step when I finally got home.
My cat is not very affectionate but I felt like absolute hell after I had surgery near the start of the year, this was the time where she decided to be more affectionate than usual…..by insisting on standing on my stomach (where I had 3 incisions and stitches from the surgery), kneading right on the stitches and meowing for strokes
You’d be shocked how well this could work if you kept to it. Just a little buddy to keep around.
I kept a cat doodle with jagged whiskers giving me a thumbs up in my wallet in high school, and let me tell you, Thumbpy Whiskiers was a great motivator. It’s dumb but the laugh from how ridiculous it is helped a ton. Then you realize it wasn’t the picture but yourself keeping you going, and it means a whole lot more.
I have a big black fluff ball called Salem (of course), and he is absolutely amazing at keeping me company when I’m down or sick. After having medical problems for the last year and a half that sometimes leaves me in intense pain for days at a time, Salem has helped me get through almost as much as my partner. The nights when I’m hunched over, throwing up and struggling to not wake up everybody else in the house, he will cuddle into my legs, or follow me around and just generally make sure I know he is there. Not to mention he is absolute miracle, about a month ago he had a really bad kidney blockage and I was told he wasn’t going to make it through the night, but 4 weeks and a MOUNTAIN of bills later, here we are. I’ve always loved animals, but until I found Salem I never knew I could love a little fluffy friend this much. Sorry about the novel, but his nature and how much he helps me through life surprises me every day.
