This I Believe

I believe that pets are good for the soul. Growing up, I had always kept a pet. I have had tadpoles, frogs, butterflies, pigeons, and strays. And those are just the ones that I found and had to beg my mom to keep, which usually only lasted until we could find a better home for them. My parents have bought us dogs, fish, guinea pigs and parrots. Of course, not all at once, but when they believed that we (my brothers and sisters) were capable of taking care of a new pet, they bought us one. Most parents use pets as a way to teach their children responsibility, and mine were no different. I learned how to clean up after another living thing, feed it on schedule, and play with it so it could exercise. But responsibility is something that kids learn from pets. As I got older, I realized that pets can teach people something much more valuable. One Christmas I got my male Maltese, Nicky. Though as a child I always loved my pets, Nicky was the first one I had fallen in love with. Oddly enough, after not having any pets for nearly four years, three months after getting Nicky, my stepfather surprised the whole family and bought a girl Maltese who we ended up naming Princess. Now, two years later, I have found so much joy in the simplicity of being a dog-owner. It amazes me how much these two animals love me, even after a bad day. I can punish them for marking their territory, but they still will follow me around and beg for petting. I can sit and tell them everything I went through in a day and they always look back at me smiling, which makes me feel like whatever I am upset about is never that serious. Sometimes I wish I could be more like them. There is a whole world out there full of violence and anger, but in my home, there is a world of love. I often wonder what they think when they see me, since they cannot talk, but it is so nice to know that it isn't anything bad because they always seem happy when I am around.

link

Return to class web page