Four days ago, I was standing in a coffee shop. There were three elderly women in front of me; each taking her turn to show the others a photo and all of them cooing over these photos.
“He’s adorable.”
“She’s so cute. How old is she?”
“Here’s a picture of my grandson,” another said.
They were waiting in the queue but soon realized the admiration of their photos was keeping others from a fresh cup of coffee; so they stood back from the line and continued to share.
I watched and listened to these women, finding something peculiar about their conversation. I had the sense that their photos were normal until the woman with the grandson said, “He cost my son a thousand dollars.” I started to smile and caught her attention. She smiled in return and then I snickered.
“We’re pathetic, aren’t we?” she said.
I shrugged. By now I knew their photos were not of the humankind. “What kind of pets are they?” I asked.
“Dogs,” she replied.
“May I see?”
She showed me a picture of that “grandson”, a yellow Labrador puppy. We talked about buying new dogs, particularly from breeders. Our conversation ended. She trailed off with the other women and I continued with my day.
This encounter was special because it solidified my view that pets are not extensions of our families. They are family. They arrive in our homes in various shapes and breeds, but they become our children in a way because we care for them; watch them grow; nurture and feed them; sometimes, we even clothe them.
My family had a German short-haired pointer for more than seventeen years. Her name was Trudy. She was white with dappled brown spots. No length of my childhood is without her, and today I still dream of times with this dog. When I get together with family for the holidays, we often reminisce, and Trudy is inevitably part of this reminiscing.
I have two pets today, already they play a significant role in my life as I care for them. I don’t believe they are family simply because I treat them that way. I believe love plays the greater part. Shared love creates that familial bond, a bond that isn’t defined by lineage or surname, or even by blood.
Copyright © Tyler Gant 2009
