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If there\u2019s one thing I know about the Cup of Jo community, it\u2019s that we love pets. If a house tour<\/a> features a shy cat<\/a> or snuggly dog<\/a>, I need to wait only three minutes until a flood of \u201cBut what is the cat\/pup\u2019s name\/backstory\/zodiac sign?!\u201d comments start flooding in. So, let\u2019s boost our serotonin levels and talk about why pets are the best. Here are 11 great reader comments\u2026<\/p>\n On unconditional love:<\/strong> <\/p>\n \u201cYoung and single, I walked into a rescue, and a dog reached his paw out from a crate, touched my hand and changed my life forever. Dogs always find the best in a person. He\u2019s gotten to know my niece and appreciates her sticky hands and abandoned Nutri-Grain bars. He was the first person outside of my family to love me unconditionally. It\u2019s still just the two of us, but sometimes I think about him meeting the other people I will love in the future.\u201d \u2014 Kate<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cOur family adopted a puppy, and I\u2019m embarrassed to admit that, for quite a while, I didn\u2019t like him. He nipped at the children, chewed up shoes and bothered our older dog. But, slowly, he wiggled his way into my heart, faults and all. The way he greets me with a big tail wag. The way he snuggles his body close. The way he gets his leash with excitement when he thinks we are taking him somewhere fun. Now I am his forever.\u201d \u2014 Lindsay<\/a><\/p>\n On showing up for each other:<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cWilson the hamster helped me meet my running goal during quarantine. I read that hamsters run five miles a night, and there was no way I was going to let a hamster or<\/em> 2020 beat me. So, I ran five miles a day on my treadmill. If I ever didn\u2019t feel like running, all I had to do was listen for Wilson\u2019s wheel. Then I knew I had to get up and go. I ended that year with 2039 miles run.\u201d \u2014 Rebecca<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cI was working from home on a tough day and got an email about a deal falling through \u2014 the final straw! I started crying, and my pug immediately hopped on the couch and put her paws on my shoulders as she licked my face. It was like having someone you love telling you everything is going to be all right.\u201d \u2014 Christine<\/a><\/p>\n On pets being just like us:<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cI read about how sniffing was like reading books for dogs. So, it makes me happy when my dog is taking extra sniffs; her reading warms my heart.\u201d \u2014 Sadie<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cWhen our dog turned two, I called my husband saying I thought he was ill, as he had done nothing but sleep on the couch all morning for two days in a row. It felt out of his character. My husband thought about it, then replied, \u201cWell, it seems like we no longer have a puppy. We now have a dog.\u201d \u2014 Rachel<\/a><\/p>\n On rituals:<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cOur Basset mix is a couch-sleeping, bacon-eating cuddle bug. Our family\u2019s favorite nightly ritual is watching Roy arrange the pillows on the couch for his maximum comfort.\u201d \u2014 Sarah<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cEvery morning as I leave the house, I tell my husband I love him, my dog I love him more, and my cat I love him most. Having pets is possibly the best part of this happy life.\u201d \u2014 Joanna<\/a><\/p>\n On learning from pets:<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cNancy Tillman wrote a wonderful book for kids called The Heaven of Animals<\/a>. I read it while pregnant and started sobbing in the middle of Costco. Years later, someone gave it to one of my kids, and I still<\/em> can\u2019t read it without bawling, especially after we lost our sweet Goldie. The quote that always gets me: \u2018When angels whisper in animal ears, it is your voice that each animal hears.’\u201d \u2014 Jill<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cI am an atheist, but this line from a superb documentary<\/a> about Istanbul street cats, spoken by a gruff Turkish sailor, ran down my spine like an electric shock: \u2018God brings us closer to him in different ways. For me, it was these animals. I guess I was worthy of his love.\u2019 \u2014 Lauren<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cMy husband and I read \u2018I Ask Percy How I Should Live My Life\u2019 by Mary Oliver<\/a> at my son\u2019s first birthday, which underscores why dogs are love.\u201d \u2014 Ari<\/a><\/p>\n I Ask Percy How I Should Live My Life Love, love, love, says Percy. What about you? How have pets made your life feel full? We\u2019d love to hear.<\/strong><\/p>\n P.S. 14 adorable quarantine pets<\/a> and human anatomy according to my dog<\/a>.<\/p>\n (Photo by MaaHoo\/Stocksy.)<\/p>\n
by Mary Oliver<\/em><\/p>\n
And hurry as fast as you can
along the shining beach, or the rubble, or the dust.
Then, go to sleep.
Give up your body heat, your beating heart.
Then, trust.<\/p>\n