Another Reason Why

A few weeks ago my mom's beloved dog, Bert, passed away. I will never forget the day we brought that baby home from the Human Society. I was in college and decided to stop at the Human Society on the way home from school. My eyes fell upon this absolutely adorable ball of golden fluff. He was little and fluffy and had a fat round puppy belly. I wanted him, but seeing that I was living with my mom, I needed her permission. After she got off work, my mom, Matt and I headed to the Human Society where we happily adopted our little bundle of joy, Bert. Bert was a Yellow Lab mix. He was full of crazy energy and went downright insane once he was home. On his third night home he escaped from his kennel and tore the house to pieces! He ate a 12 pack of toilet paper, a few plants, the remote, a shoe or two, a couple of socks, a bath towel and even got into the bag of bird seed. He started throwing up and before long we were back at the Human Society hoping he would make it through the night. After spending two night at the vet's office we were allowed to take our baby back home. My mom and I took turns sleeping with him and spoon feeding him baby food because he was so weak and so sick. Yes, this was not the first or the last time I would nurse a sick animal back to a healthy existence!

While Bert was the family dog, he was really my mom's dog. I finished college, moved out, got married, bought my own home and started a family. Matt finished college, moved out, moved back, moved out, became engaged and is embarking on his own life. Since having Bert in our lives we have lost both of my grandmothers and a grandfather, my dad has died and other life events have taken place. Through all of this my mom had Bert to come home to. Regardless of what kind of day or moment she was experiencing, Bert was there as her constant companion. Animals are amazing being. They sense fear, illness, sadness and jubilation. Animals are ready to snuggle, receive a belly rub or go for a walk at the drop of a hat. Animals love you regardless of how they are spoken to or treated, for the most part. We welcome these furry little creatures into our hearts and into our homes, caring for them as if they were truly a member of our family. The love between a human and an animal is unique and amazing.

Bert started to slow down a few years ago. This past year you could really tell his age was catching up with him. A few months ago he started having what the vet believed to be seizures, although at one point they thought he had some type of infection. His thyroid was out of whack and he started on meds. He couldn't walk some days and for awhile my mom had to go back to spoon feeding him his meals. He perked up for a bit, but then he was back to where he started. The vet had considered doing a brain scan to see if he had a tumor. My mom was already paying money for thyroid medicine and now she was considering a MRI. Sadly, Bert passed away in his bedroom before she was able to schedule the scan. I got "the call" at 6:43am one cold December morning. My mom was a mess of tears and emotions and she told me poor Bertie had died around midnight. She was so distraught and upset that she ended up taking the day off of work. A few days later she received a sympathy card in the mail from the vet's office. I cried like a baby as I read the words and help the paw print they had sent her. Our little fluffy yellow ball that we rescued from the Human Society that sunny spring day was now in doggie Heaven. Our hearts were heavy with grief.

As I sit here thinking and writing about Bert, I cannot help to think about the millions of animals who are abused and mistreated every day. The dogs who are forced into breeding litter after litter of puppies, the chickens who are shoulder to shoulder in dark little coops never to see light so they can mass produce eggs, the little calves who are shackled and force fed in an effort to produce "tasty" veal, the cows who are fed diets that are not healthy for them only to be horribly slaughtered for mass human consumption, the turkey who are cooped up in inhuman confines of a pin and eventually slaughtered for meals. I cannot help to think about the abuse these poor, helpless animals are faced with daily. Life is life. We can debate the whole abortion topic, we can debate the hunting for meat topic, but when it comes down to it, life is life. Why is a sad pet owner any different than a vegetarian who is sad over the loss of an animal's life? To me, there is no difference. The next time you sit down to indulge in that burger or that chicken breast, think about where it really came from. Can you honestly bite, chew and swallow and digest a once living creature? I cannot bring myself to doing that.

Off my recyclable, veggie soapbox now ;)