I’ve been thinking the last little while about loving my dogs… and how I love them just as much as any human I know. I had a hard time admitting that my dogs come first, until the girl who does my nails told me that she told her boyfriend, in no uncertain terms, that her dogs come first and always will, and if he can’t accept that then he can’t accept her. I respect her for that and it helped me to admit it to myself, too.
(oh and yup, this is Levi playing fetch.. lol, he does it for me, he’s such a sweet boy. Collies do play fetch!)
On another, related note, I’m vegetarian. I don’t feel like I can justify killing another living being in order to survive. There are so many options now that I can live quite happily and healthily without taking another creature’s life. If it came down to it and I was lost in the woods, and it was me or another animal, sure, I’d kill to survive. I would have not qualms about that. I can cut into a chicken and not worry about it, for my dogs, because it’s healthier for them. And I know the food chain is a natural part of life.
Anyway… being vegetarian for about 17 years has really helped me to see non-human animals as the same as human animals. Though I don’t think it’s necessary for humans to be vegetarian to realize this, it just helped me personally.
So I’ve been wondering if, and if so why, it’s socially unacceptable for humans to really love another species as much as we love other humans. I love my dogs as much as I would any human child. And I don’t understand why it may be considered a less valuable love than loving my own species.
Sure, back 100, 200 or 1500 years ago, humans loved other humans, and non-human animals were tools, food, or something else that was ‘other’ than human. But really, I want to be an animal. I believe in evolution. I believe that humans evolved alongside the other non-human animals and basically, fundamentally, we are all the same. As I lie in bed at night with my dogs around me, I want to be exactly the same as them… a living being who evolved on this planet with bone, blood, and breath. We are the same.
Humans are no better than other animals. We can just manipulate our environment more efficiently than other animals. And we understand the way we think, we don’t understand the other animals as well. But we are learning. And I’m so glad that, as time goes by, more and more humans are starting to understand that other life has value as well, and other animals not only feel physical pain, but an entire range of emotion, just as the human animal does.
Maybe it’s a religious thing, to be more human-centric. But since I have little history and almost no knowledge of religion, I really don’t know. I am not Christian, nor do I believe in a single god. I’m more pagan, and would like to learn more about paganism. But since I don’t know much about religion, I cannot form a good opinion of it. 🙂
Anyway, I love my dogs as much as any human animal. I am an animal, and I am very proud of it. I am a part of this earth, my bone is made of the same stuff as a tree’s trunk, and I am glad of it.
“I Like My Kids…..But I Love my ACD’s”
I recieved this license plate frame from my children for mothers day 4 years ago.
Astrids last blog post..1
"I Like My Kids…..But I Love my ACD's"
I recieved this license plate frame from my children for mothers day 4 years ago. Astrids last blog post..1
I agree with you, some of the most tramatic experiences of my life have been over the loss of pets. Reading about it, seeing it on TV, it just hits you.
I am not saying it hurts any less to lose a loved one of the human variety but there is something very different. You know how to feel and to act and to move on. Pets are harder.
You have to be a pet owner to get it and people who look on from the outside should never devalue the influence a pet has on their owners and family.
As silly as I think it is, why do you think so many people leave their life possessions to pets rather than kids they really don’t like all that much.
Pets love you no matter what and that can be something that humans can lose site of.
good post and thanks
cuzzys last blog post..Let spring begin
I agree with you, some of the most tramatic experiences of my life have been over the loss of pets. Reading about it, seeing it on TV, it just hits you.
I am not saying it hurts any less to lose a loved one of the human variety but there is something very different. You know how to feel and to act and to move on. Pets are harder.
You have to be a pet owner to get it and people who look on from the outside should never devalue the influence a pet has on their owners and family.
As silly as I think it is, why do you think so many people leave their life possessions to pets rather than kids they really don't like all that much.
Pets love you no matter what and that can be something that humans can lose site of.
good post and thanks cuzzys last blog post..<a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/chocolatedogblog/B…rel="nofollow">Let spring begin</a>
I agree with you, some of the most tramatic experiences of my life have been over the loss of pets. Reading about it, seeing it on TV, it just hits you.
I am not saying it hurts any less to lose a loved one of the human variety but there is something very different. You know how to feel and to act and to move on. Pets are harder.
You have to be a pet owner to get it and people who look on from the outside should never devalue the influence a pet has on their owners and family.
As silly as I think it is, why do you think so many people leave their life possessions to pets rather than kids they really don't like all that much.
Pets love you no matter what and that can be something that humans can lose site of.
good post and thanks cuzzys last blog post..<a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/chocolatedogblog/B…rel="nofollow">Let spring begin</a>
I know I feel closer to my dogs than I do to any human. My dogs and I have bonded in a way I never thought possible. My family thinks I am crazy of course but that’s just because they have never shared their lives with animals. They can’t comprehend how much you can actually love another species.
I feel lucky to have a boyfriend who understands that the dogs come first. It doesn’t even need to be discussed because he loves his dog as much as I love mine. Making sure the dogs are taken care of is always the first priority. 🙂
I know I feel closer to my dogs than I do to any human. My dogs and I have bonded in a way I never thought possible. My family thinks I am crazy of course but that's just because they have never shared their lives with animals. They can't comprehend how much you can actually love another species.
I feel lucky to have a boyfriend who understands that the dogs come first. It doesn't even need to be discussed because he loves his dog as much as I love mine. Making sure the dogs are taken care of is always the first priority. 🙂
Cynthia you are right. I have my daughter and I love her with all my heart, but I love my animals too. My dogs and my birds are my kids now. My Hubby and I didn’t go on a vacation together for years because there was no one we trusted with the animals. My daughter always tells me that the dogs get treated better than she did 🙂
I was raised with religion and I’ve studied some religions over the years and I always find it interesting how they view animals. Most seem to say that we are a superior animal and that other animals are here to make our life better. I’ve always said that if God is loving and caring like they say, we may be superior but that doesn’t necessarily give us more ‘rights’ than animals but it definitely gives us more responsibility to those animals. If we are superior it’s up to us to treat them well and take care of the, even if we use them for food.
This was a really good post and it’s got me to thinking. I may have to expand upon it in a post of my own 🙂
Flos last blog post..Rocco
Cynthia you are right. I have my daughter and I love her with all my heart, but I love my animals too. My dogs and my birds are my kids now. My Hubby and I didn't go on a vacation together for years because there was no one we trusted with the animals. My daughter always tells me that the dogs get treated better than she did 🙂
I was raised with religion and I've studied some religions over the years and I always find it interesting how they view animals. Most seem to say that we are a superior animal and that other animals are here to make our life better. I've always said that if God is loving and caring like they say, we may be superior but that doesn't necessarily give us more 'rights' than animals but it definitely gives us more responsibility to those animals. If we are superior it's up to us to treat them well and take care of the, even if we use them for food.
This was a really good post and it's got me to thinking. I may have to expand upon it in a post of my own 🙂 Flos last blog post..<a href="http://www.featherfurfin.com/2008/04/rocco.html&q…rel="nofollow">Rocco</a>
Cynthia you are right. I have my daughter and I love her with all my heart, but I love my animals too. My dogs and my birds are my kids now. My Hubby and I didn't go on a vacation together for years because there was no one we trusted with the animals. My daughter always tells me that the dogs get treated better than she did 🙂
I was raised with religion and I've studied some religions over the years and I always find it interesting how they view animals. Most seem to say that we are a superior animal and that other animals are here to make our life better. I've always said that if God is loving and caring like they say, we may be superior but that doesn't necessarily give us more 'rights' than animals but it definitely gives us more responsibility to those animals. If we are superior it's up to us to treat them well and take care of the, even if we use them for food.
This was a really good post and it's got me to thinking. I may have to expand upon it in a post of my own 🙂 Flos last blog post..<a href="http://www.featherfurfin.com/2008/04/rocco.html&q…rel="nofollow">Rocco</a>
I just posted a study of college students who say they love their dogs as much as their family and friends. I’m sure some people get bent about this, but love is love. It enriches our lives no matter what the object of our love is.
I just posted a study of college students who say they love their dogs as much as their family and friends. I'm sure some people get bent about this, but love is love. It enriches our lives no matter what the object of our love is.
Hehe Astrid, yeah, I love that license plate you have. 🙂
Hehe Astrid, yeah, I love that license plate you have. 🙂
Hi cuzzy, thanks for your comment! I have never lost a human loved one so I don’t know yet how awful it is… and I dread the day. But loosing an animal friend is awful indeed. I do wish they lived much longer.
Hi cuzzy, thanks for your comment! I have never lost a human loved one so I don't know yet how awful it is… and I dread the day. But loosing an animal friend is awful indeed. I do wish they lived much longer.
Hey Christy, my family thinks I’m crazy, too. But then I meet people like you and I’m glad I’m not alone!
Hey Christy, my family thinks I'm crazy, too. But then I meet people like you and I'm glad I'm not alone!
Like cuzzy said, I’ve lost both my parents… and just yesterday my best friend’s Mom, who was like a mother to me… but losing my dogs has been such a devastating blow each time… it’s different. The grief is different, too.
I’m Catholic and a meat eater, but I totally respect your beliefs. A few days ago on my site I asked the question ‘why do some people love animals more than other people?’. But I had something specific in mind when I asked it… Like many others, I told my husband he had to take my dog [who hated his guts and tried to bite him at every opportunity] if he wanted *me*. He did. 😉
Being ‘human-centric’ could be a religious thing, I don’t know. I was raised with religion, but there’s also always been a dog at my side. 😀
pams last blog post..Jo
Like cuzzy said, I've lost both my parents… and just yesterday my best friend's Mom, who was like a mother to me… but losing my dogs has been such a devastating blow each time… it's different. The grief is different, too.
I'm Catholic and a meat eater, but I totally respect your beliefs. A few days ago on my site I asked the question 'why do some people love animals more than other people?'. But I had something specific in mind when I asked it… Like many others, I told my husband he had to take my dog [who hated his guts and tried to bite him at every opportunity] if he wanted *me*. He did. 😉
Being 'human-centric' could be a religious thing, I don't know. I was raised with religion, but there's also always been a dog at my side. 😀 pams last blog post..<a href="http://www.pamibe.com/?p=2277" rel="nofollow">Jo</a>
Like cuzzy said, I've lost both my parents… and just yesterday my best friend's Mom, who was like a mother to me… but losing my dogs has been such a devastating blow each time… it's different. The grief is different, too.
I'm Catholic and a meat eater, but I totally respect your beliefs. A few days ago on my site I asked the question 'why do some people love animals more than other people?'. But I had something specific in mind when I asked it… Like many others, I told my husband he had to take my dog [who hated his guts and tried to bite him at every opportunity] if he wanted *me*. He did. 😉
Being 'human-centric' could be a religious thing, I don't know. I was raised with religion, but there's also always been a dog at my side. 😀 pams last blog post..<a href="http://www.pamibe.com/?p=2277" rel="nofollow">Jo</a>
Hi Flo thanks for your comment. 🙂 I think someday religion and humans will realize animals are just as wonderful as human animals. 🙂
Hi Flo thanks for your comment. 🙂 I think someday religion and humans will realize animals are just as wonderful as human animals. 🙂
You have to be around animals to understand what you are saying. They have their moods, tones and meanings to barks. If woman was ever told me it was her or my Collies, I would show her the door. I love going for early morning walks, going to the dog park, watching them play with each other. I can remember Essex hovering nearby when I got sick four years ago. How she helped keep me sane during the clean up after Hurricane Wilma flooded Key West.
When I go places, I prefer to have them by me. They just make me feel better about myself and those around me. To quote Will Rogers “If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went.”
Key West Colliess last blog post..Our Barks
You have to be around animals to understand what you are saying. They have their moods, tones and meanings to barks. If woman was ever told me it was her or my Collies, I would show her the door. I love going for early morning walks, going to the dog park, watching them play with each other. I can remember Essex hovering nearby when I got sick four years ago. How she helped keep me sane during the clean up after Hurricane Wilma flooded Key West.
When I go places, I prefer to have them by me. They just make me feel better about myself and those around me. To quote Will Rogers "If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went." Key West Colliess last blog post..<a href="http://keywestcollies.blogspot.com/2008/04/our-ba…rel="nofollow">Our Barks</a>
You have to be around animals to understand what you are saying. They have their moods, tones and meanings to barks. If woman was ever told me it was her or my Collies, I would show her the door. I love going for early morning walks, going to the dog park, watching them play with each other. I can remember Essex hovering nearby when I got sick four years ago. How she helped keep me sane during the clean up after Hurricane Wilma flooded Key West.
When I go places, I prefer to have them by me. They just make me feel better about myself and those around me. To quote Will Rogers "If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went." Key West Colliess last blog post..<a href="http://keywestcollies.blogspot.com/2008/04/our-ba…rel="nofollow">Our Barks</a>
Beautiful post! You are right and I agree with you. some people think that they are superior to animals and they think that’s what gives them the right to hurt other animals but the truth is at the end of the day we realize that some people are lower than animals.
I love my doggie, Mssy, and thank you for your comment in my post about her. ^_^
Beautiful post! You are right and I agree with you. some people think that they are superior to animals and they think that's what gives them the right to hurt other animals but the truth is at the end of the day we realize that some people are lower than animals.
I love my doggie, Mssy, and thank you for your comment in my post about her. ^_^
Sometimes I like my dog way more than humans 🙂 — she’s much kinder!
Nancys last blog post..Dachshund Bead
Sometimes I like my dog way more than humans 🙂 — she's much kinder! Nancys last blog post..<a href="http://nanjodogz.blogspot.com/2008/04/dachshund-b…rel="nofollow">Dachshund Bead</a>
Sometimes I like my dog way more than humans 🙂 — she's much kinder! Nancys last blog post..<a href="http://nanjodogz.blogspot.com/2008/04/dachshund-b…rel="nofollow">Dachshund Bead</a>
When my husband came into my life, I had a dog and cat, and he had always had the opinion that animals don’t belong in the house. I made it clear that they were here before him, and I would always want pets in my life, so if he wanted to be with me, that’s the way it would be. He has adapted well over the years, and has come to love our pets as much as I do. In fact when our young cat had to be put to sleep recently, it was his idea to get another one. And he lets them all get away with far more than I do – they have him wrapped around their little paws. We now have 2 dogs and 3 cats, all in the house and he doesn’t mind a bit. His training is complete! hah hah
chriss last blog post..Wordless Wednesday
When my husband came into my life, I had a dog and cat, and he had always had the opinion that animals don't belong in the house. I made it clear that they were here before him, and I would always want pets in my life, so if he wanted to be with me, that's the way it would be. He has adapted well over the years, and has come to love our pets as much as I do. In fact when our young cat had to be put to sleep recently, it was his idea to get another one. And he lets them all get away with far more than I do – they have him wrapped around their little paws. We now have 2 dogs and 3 cats, all in the house and he doesn't mind a bit. His training is complete! hah hah chriss last blog post..<a href="http://blog.ourdoglog.com/2008/04/wordless-wednes…rel="nofollow">Wordless Wednesday</a>
When my husband came into my life, I had a dog and cat, and he had always had the opinion that animals don't belong in the house. I made it clear that they were here before him, and I would always want pets in my life, so if he wanted to be with me, that's the way it would be. He has adapted well over the years, and has come to love our pets as much as I do. In fact when our young cat had to be put to sleep recently, it was his idea to get another one. And he lets them all get away with far more than I do – they have him wrapped around their little paws. We now have 2 dogs and 3 cats, all in the house and he doesn't mind a bit. His training is complete! hah hah chriss last blog post..<a href="http://blog.ourdoglog.com/2008/04/wordless-wednes…rel="nofollow">Wordless Wednesday</a>
Meowm loves animals!!!! She would take in tons of them if she could! She can’t have any liitle human babies so we are her babies!! When she lost her China meezer…her heart was broken. That was when I came along and helped her heart heal. Meowm has lost bean family too, and that hurt, but shehurts just as much when her animals cross the bridge. Meowm has always said that when she moves, I move with her…and I have to be excepted as part of the package that comes with her. And now it appears I have a brother….so that is another animal that she loves to pieces!
Meowm loves animals!!!! She would take in tons of them if she could! She can't have any liitle human babies so we are her babies!! When she lost her China meezer…her heart was broken. That was when I came along and helped her heart heal. Meowm has lost bean family too, and that hurt, but shehurts just as much when her animals cross the bridge. Meowm has always said that when she moves, I move with her…and I have to be excepted as part of the package that comes with her. And now it appears I have a brother….so that is another animal that she loves to pieces!
I agree Jan. Love is love, and it’s a good thing.
I agree Jan. Love is love, and it's a good thing.
Heya Pam.. the grief is different… for sure. But losing an animal companion is very painful, indeed.
Heya Pam.. the grief is different… for sure. But losing an animal companion is very painful, indeed.
Yeah Key West Collies… animals are amazing, with their own moods and feelings. I guess those people who dont understand have never been close to an animal.
Yeah Key West Collies… animals are amazing, with their own moods and feelings. I guess those people who dont understand have never been close to an animal.
Hi Edgar, yeah, even if people do think they are better or higher than animals, there is no reason to hurt them, ever! I’m so sorry about Missy. 🙁
Hi Edgar, yeah, even if people do think they are better or higher than animals, there is no reason to hurt them, ever! I'm so sorry about Missy. 🙁
Hi Nancy! Yeah, dogs are kind and wonderful! 🙂
Hi Nancy! Yeah, dogs are kind and wonderful! 🙂
yay Chris that is great! I’m so glad he understands the animals better now, and likes to live with them! 🙂
yay Chris that is great! I'm so glad he understands the animals better now, and likes to live with them! 🙂
Hi Junior! Animals are the best! I would have a hundred too, if I could give them all enough time and attention!
Hi Junior! Animals are the best! I would have a hundred too, if I could give them all enough time and attention!