Unconditional Love Lessons Learned Through My Fur Babies

It was Christmas Day 2018. My visit was just going to be quick. In and out the door… heading back home and anticipating the 4 hour car trip trying to beat the impending snow storm. To my surprise, as I approached the door, I heard two dogs barking... I thought Ann only had one dog.

To my surprise, two dogs greeted me at the door with tails wagging! “Ann, when did you get another dog”, I asked, knowing one dog was more than enough to take care of in the city. “Remember the woman I was caring for, my next door neighbor I told you about?” “Yes”, I replied. “She could no longer care for Lily so I brought her to my house... would you like to take her home with you?”, she asked.

Another dog to take out on the cold, snowy, winter mornings? Did I really want to take on a second dog? My German Shepard WAS getting old and I DO love dogs, but did I really want the added responsibility? She asked me a second time. “Ann, if I were to adopt another animal I’d love to replace Sapphire”, I explained. Sapphire was a gorgeous Persian cat whom I’d had for most of my adult life. She died in my arms when she was 18 years old. “That sounds GREAT!, Ann replied. Lily has a sister cat next door!”

Okay, now I felt stuck. Another animal to clean up after… did I really want to clean a cat box again? “Let’s go take a look,” I suggested. Well, within seconds of walking through the door, I was greeted by another gorgeous fur baby, quietly meowing and already purring. This cat wasn’t shy… she immediately jumped onto my lap and started purring and licking my hand!! Honestly, I’d never met such a friendly and loving cat in my life!

Ann and I continued to have a friendly conversation, while the cat proceeded to curl up on my lap. Every so often, she reached her head around, to find a bare section of skin on my arm, to lick. Now I was really in a pickle… the cat was absolutely endearing, but the dog was equally as special. Knowing these two affectionate animals had lived together for many years, the thought of separating them was inconceivable.

Now my quick "in and out" visit, to my dear friend, had turned into hours and still, the storm was brewing outside. The possibility of beating the storm was no longer a consideration so I said, “Ann, would it be alright if I stayed the night and decided in the morning? I’m leaning toward adopting BOTH animals. I can’t imagine breaking up the family… they belong together... they even have the same fur markings.”

“Absolutely, replied Ann. I’m glad you’re considering both animals. I was worried about how they would survive without each other… they belong together, but I didn’t want to suggest it because I knew you only wanted one animal.”

As I slept on the couch that night, Lily kept me company. It seemed as if she knew she would be going to be part of my family and she wanted to endear herself to me.

Upon arrival home, all three animals (our late dog, Matti included) and two humans acclimated to each other by spending most of the snowy day cozying on my son’s bed. It was then when we realized how gentle and loving these animals were to each other… grooming each other’s fur and sometimes almost kissing, as both tried to lick the other at the same time.

From the first day in our home, we experienced two animals from different species sharing the love they had for one another. From curling up with each other for a small “cat nap” to licking the sleep out of each other’s eyes… these two are best friends.

I will be eternally grateful to my friend, Ann, for allowing me to take on the responsibility of caring for these beautiful souls... both of whom had been literally and figuratively, placed in my lap!

Blessings Embraced:

• Animals can sometimes be our greatest teachers.

• Unconditional love can be shown in many different ways.

Affirmation: I show the loved ones in my life unconditional love.