Dogs and cats are people too, ya know.

Here in Tennessee, when it comes to dogs and cats, of which there are just too many, we suffer from an over-abundance of purely stupid and callous people. I’m talking about those who abuse animals for their own amusement, ie. dog fighting/cock fighting, or parents who get pets for their kids only to decide later, when the pup becomes an adult, that they don’t want it anymore, don’t have time for it, don’t have it neutered so when the animal has a litter it and the litter gets trashed. I have been an advocate of strict laws with real jail time for criminal abuse, and steep fines for neglect. The little fines the courts order now for these offenses are a joke, teaching these knuckle-draggers nothing.

Let he who has not sinned…yes, I’m also guilty of minor abuses. For that I’m sure I will pay when my time comes. Let me explain.

I’ve always been a dog man. Dogs are cool, funny, strong, and obedient. Or, at least, they’re supposed to be. I never wanted a cat because, I thought, they’re not any of those things.

We got a cat when I was around eight or so. My mother decided, after some nagging and guilt tries from me and my sister, that since dad would not allow a dog in the house—they’re dirty and get hair all over everything—we would get a cat. She said it would teach us responsibility and nurturing.

Snowball was a pure white Persian mix with one blue eye and a green one. As I remember I teased the living daylights out of that poor creature, reveling in the game between the two of us. Yeah, I nurtured her alright. Hell, I stalked her, then I’d leap out from behind a door or something and scare her half to death. She would run and hide in the storage area under the green steel bench in the breakfast room. And like the fool on the hill, I’d stick my hand in there and tease her endlessly, trying to grab her, pulling her tail, and just generally driving her crazy. Her teeth and claws were razor sharp and she used them efficiently, but I didn’t care. When I think about it now I guess I did love that cat, but at that time in my life I wanted a dog. So I played with her like she was a dog. And I was duly scarred.

Later in my childhood, after a lot of kvetching and a few more guilt trip tries, my father caved in and let me buy the dog I saw in the Kingston Pet Shop window. She cost me $3. Males were $5 but I only had $3. So I rode home carrying Dutchess with one hand while steering my Schwinn Hornet with the other. My father eventually came to love that dog, and she loved him. She was a Shepherd mix of some sort, grew to about 40 lb. and led the life of, well, a dutchess, spoiled and loved to the nth degree. She was smart and liked to lay next to my mother on the couch as mom would work the daily crossword and smoke her Chesterfield. I was in college when mom called to tell me that Dutchess had to be put to sleep. I hung up the phone, went to my room, and cried because it had been so long since I’d seen her and now I’ll never see her again. I think mom cried the most, and dad was his usual stoic self, but I knew he was hurting and missed her too.

Now Connie and I have both cat and dog. JJ is the king, the boss, and the needy. He’s also been here the longest and is the oldest. Kiki showed up a year or so ago, a ragged 6 months old kitten. She was most likely abandoned, wandering around on our property. JJ barked like hell at her but she just sat up there on the seat of the riding mower, waving her tail around. It was a comical sight, watching JJ get all wound up while Kiki just looked at him as if to say, “What’s wrong with this dog? Does he go on like this all the time?”

She may have been adopted into our family but JJ is still the boss. He loves Kiki like she’s his little sister. Sometimes he loves her like she’s his little chew toy. He’ll jump from the couch right on top of her, flattening her to the floor while she lays there, tail swooshing around with a mind of its own, and then he puts her entire head in his mouth and just holds it there. She doesn’t move a muscle except for that tail, waiting patiently for him to get his jollies, and when the time is right she’ll dash away, head full of spit. This is repeated a few times a day and for some reason Kiki has yet to lose her cool and take a serious swipe at him. She has no idea that she could tear him a new one if she wanted to. And neither does he.

I’m often home during the day and I have a lot of interaction with these two animals. If anyone tries to tell me that animals have no soul I will disagree in the strongest terms possible. How arrogant to think that only man is capable of possessing a soul. We may have a larger brain, but animals have a focus that no human can experience. We may be a complicated intelligence but our senses don’t come close to an animal’s. They are extremely basic beings. For what ever reason, we seem to lay our trip on animals, as if they were somehow like us. They ain’t anything like us. They are like what they are, and that’s it. Their view of the world is immediate. Focused. We’re fortunate they’re not anything like us. If they were some of us would deservedly be killed in our sleep. No wonder so many abusers make their pets stay outside.

If you’re going to get a pet make sure you plan to keep it and take care of it through its entire life. If you’re not sure, please don’t get it “just to see.” Wait until you’re committed to the task. Think about adopting a dog or cat from any one of a number of agencies available. Most of those pet adoption places, including the Humane Society, Freedom Farm, and many others, have their animals vet-checked, shots up to date, even spayed, all for a small adoption fee. If you get a dog from a breeder but you’re not going to breed it please, spay or neuter your pet. We can’t take care of all the puppies and kittens being born now. A great number of them get euthanized.

I can’t imagine living without our little guys in the house. They are a constant form of entertainment. They keep Connie company nights when I’m at work. They keep me company during the day when I’m home. They offer unbridled love and a warm sense of unity. I recommend a pet for all who have the time and energy to have one. Whenever you’re ready, there’s a dog or cat out there just right for you, and will love you forever no matter how close your knuckles are to the ground.