• Home
• Articles
• Essays
• Add site

Loving Dogs

Loving Dogs


When I was a child, we had no pets. I did not know anything about dogs or cats, and I didn't think they were anything more than possessions or accessories. I did not concern myself with thinking about animal rights and related issues, and thought that claims about animal rights were senseless. I was convinced that dogs did not have feelings or other human-like characteristics, and that their behavior was based on mere instincts, like hunger and thirst.

When I was a child I had a friend named Janice, with whom I had a very close friendly relationship. We spent a lot of time together and I thought I knew her very well. We shared everything with each other, and I thought I knew all of her thoughts, feelings, and inner desires. It seemed like we had identical views on the world and similar opinions about everything. She had a small dog named Chester, which she really loved and cared for. Once her parents left for the weekend, and she was responsible for looking after Chester. We decided to go for a little walk, and she took the dog with her. For the first time in my life did I see someone treating a pet in such a way! She talked to the dog, asked questions, as if we were three friends taking a walk, not two friends with a dog. Chester "participated" in all the decision-making regarding where to go and what to do. It felt strange at first, but later I started to understand the behavior of my friend. She spoke to Chester because she knew the dog understood her somehow. Not the actual spoken words were understood, of course, but attitude, appreciation, and care.

Time passed, and I had already forgotten the walk with Chester. We were no longer close friends, and I decided to meet up and remember the old days of our friendship. I called Janice and invited her for dinner at a restaurant. After dinner, we decided to take a little walk and talk for a while. We were walking on the streets in the evening, and suddenly we came across an old lady with a big dog. Janice stopped and introduced herself, and then started taking interest in the dog, rubbing the dog's back and petting it. After a few minutes we continued walking and she told me her story. She was now studying to become a cynologist for she had a great love for dogs. She was deeply convinced that dogs had feelings and were in themselves small personalities, and that the main quality of dogs was devotion to the owner. She also told me a few stories of how these small creatures, being so faithful and devoted to people, were abused and mistreated. I was looking at her and noticed something new and unique, which I had not seen in her during the years of our friendship. She did not simply speak the words; she was filled with the compassion and love for these animals.

After that walk with Janice, it became very interesting to me to find our more about dogs and what they are really like. I met with her again, and we discussed different issues concerning dogs. While talking to her and sharing thoughts, I realized that because of Janice and her love for dogs, I changed. I started treating dogs as I had never treated them before. I realized that they were not mere objects or possessions, but to some extent emotional and personal beings, each one having something unique to share with the world.

Now every time I see animals on the streets or in the Zoo or elsewhere, I remember my old friend Janice, who taught me to appreciate these small creatures and to treat them as small personalities. Now I understand that though they do not speak and look like people, they are more like us that we really think
1951

Posted by: FICHTNER, SANDEE

Best Custom Writing Sites

Sites that provide custom writing services are better alternative to downloading pre-written paper samples, especially if you temporarily can't handle writing your own paper for some reason, and can not afford risking your course and reputation for plagiarism detection failure. The prices for custom written essays are affordable, but if you need 15-pages long master level report overnight, you better prepare to spend a noticeable sum.