Puppies!

I was thinking about puppies this evening, because why wouldn't I. And the thought occurred to me that our pets basically love us unconditionally, an how weird is that. I always accepted that this is the case, because it can hardly be otherwise as anyone who has had a pet knows, but why this should be eluded me, in large part animals don't really need us, most cats and dogs have very little stopping them from taking care of themselves should they choose to, and dogs are totally able to form their own social groups, while cats don't particularly give much of a damn about that at all.

Obviously the reason has a lot to do with the millennia of breeding and deeper issues of animal psychology, but I realized there is another reason too.

Just think, you are a tiny, nearly helpless animal, suddenly, a giant appears in your life, something so much larger than you that you can barely comprehend it. That giant takes you into its home, provides you with food, attention, and comfort, sees to your health, and seemingly asks for nothing at all in return, eventually you grow up, you are now faster and larger, possibly matching the giant who took you in in size and strength, possibly not, but the giant still cares for you, no matter what you do.

Now a human in that position might be a little creeped out, as that could be a horror movie plot right there, but animals just take it at face value, they have a good life because of you, of course they love you back, after all, to them you love them unconditionally too, and you did it first.

As I right this my cat is sitting next to my computer, just giving me enough room to use the mouse, she is waiting for me to stop typing so she can sit on my shoulder and shove her nose into my ear, as is her way. Later she will probably try to find a spot on the bed to sit on that won't be disrupted by me or Zena tossing in our sleep, she recently realized that the pillow on my side of the bed is larger than my head, and my feet are rarely there, so that is where she sleeps now. She may decide to move to the small of my back after I fall asleep, there she can grumble at me if I move at all and that seems to make her happy.

There are many spots in the room that would be more comfortable for her, she chooses to be near me because that is what makes her happy, that makes me happy, it means I have done at least one undeniably good thing with my life and sometimes that just makes everything better.