Our chihuahua Pedro is a different kind of dog. He desperately wants to be the alpha but the other two dogs already seem to take turns at that position within our home’s little pack. Pedro also is highly sensitive and as one might expect, a picky eater. His bony ribs stick out under his black fur, and based on how little he eats, I wonder how he survives.
So I fry him an egg most mornings, and I buy soft dog food to mix in with the dry food in the hopes that he will eat. I used to laugh at my in-laws who would cook bacon every morning for their own picky eater, a Yorkshire terrier named Benji. Now I understand.
One of my friends recently lost her cat to some mysterious illness that she spent loads of money trying to cure. I sent her a sympathy card because I understand how pets are family, and any loss is a loss. In the card, I said that I was sure her cat knew that my friend had done everything she could to help and that I was certain her cat appreciated it.
You’re probably wondering how I could know that her cat appreciated her efforts to help. Here’s how I know: love is never wasted. I probably could lump kindness into that, but the best kindnesses, the ones motivated purely, are basically love. Love is never wasted; it goes out to nourish others, and while nourishing others, through early morning bacon or eggs, it somehow comes back and feeds us, too.