Hey there ladies and gents.
A lot of you know that I’m a huge fan of cats, dogs and other furry creatures. Except spiders of course. And snakes. They can go to hell in a handcart. Begone foul things! Everything else is fair game.
I’d therefore like to share with you all a personal essay that I’ve written for a competition that I am now allowed to publish.
The theme specifically related to pets and I share it with you all here to show the different areas that I am approaching with my writing. I often write fiction and poetry, so this will be a different tangent for you to experience.
Feel free to tell me all about your own pets and their funny stories in the comments, that is what I look forward to the most.
Hope you all enjoy the piece 🙂
Photo by Ryan McGuire at Gratisography
“The Unconditional Love of a Pet” by David Ellis
There are many different types of love in this world. I’ve held them up close in the palm of my hand, I’ve felt them deeper than any cut or wound, the experiences finer than any grain of sand. I’ve even been married once (and sadly divorced too, for it was not meant to be), which means that I appreciate the value of true love.
I’ve lost people that I hold dear to illness and disease, leaving me heartbroken for days, death may have taken them away but the love for them does not and will never fade. I’ve fallen for characters in books and films time and time again without hesitation. I am a romantic at heart, a poet who embraces every aspect and facet of this emotional feeling that we choose to call love.
Yet none of these interpretations of a very complex emotional state truly compares to the love and affection given unconditionally from a pet, right from the first moment when you adopt them as one of your own to that fateful day when they grow old and you have to say goodbye.
It is something about the magnificence of their eyes and how richly evocative they are in defining the uniqueness of their character. One look from an endearingly cute creature and I’m instantly smitten.
When I continue to look into the eyes of an animal that I have taken in to nurture as a part of my immediate family, who will share key defining moments of my life, I see in their gaze a distillation of admiration, trust, friendship and respect.
There are no agendas, false pretences or subtle nuances that need to be picked up on, unlike when interacting with human friends, family or acquaintances. Animals have a very clear ability to communicate their feelings and desires with the minimum amount of effort. Their love is pure, decent and not prone to waning over time. If you look after an animal, their love will be eternal.
I’ve had the privilege of caring for cats, birds, dogs, guinea pigs, hamsters, fish and bunny rabbits as pets. All of them have had their own particular quirks and behaviours that could be both entertaining, as well as frustrating at times (curiosity can be oh so fun but oh so destructive), yet that is all part of their intrinsic and infinite charm. When we want, need or crave a friend, they are always there for us, through thick and thin, they never judge and are a sympathetic ear to lean on.
When I was going through the end of my marriage and felt like my partner no longer cared about me, I would come home and could still feel passion in the room exuding from my excited dog, who couldn’t wait to see me, despite the distant, disdainful demeanour of my spouse. My dog and I spent many fond evenings together exchanging smiles and cuddling my sadness away – the world was a far more bearable place because of her wonderful attitude towards me. We shared a bond that could never be broken.
I also distinctly remember the warmth of sentiment from my cat Aristides (we called him that because I am part Greek). He used to be so determined to rub his face against mine after hours apart when I returned from work, it wasn’t enough for me to bend down to him. He had to get up to my level and would jump up on to my back. Despite the pain that this caused (and unintentional hilarity to my other family members), I still remember dearly the devotion that he was trying to express to me when he was doing this so many years ago. I miss him dearly. He resonates in my heart and I still feel that there are echoes of him, purring in my soul to this very day.
I honestly believe that in the fullness of time, I would like to experience caring for a whole gamut of other animals, literally anything that is fluffy and can be kept as a pet. Even the bigger ones too like horses, kangaroos and elephants. However, I would never have spiders or in particular snakes because I’m too afraid that one day I might end up as their lunch. I often joke that Indiana Jones is my spirit animal and I take after the character in exactly this way.
Charles Dickens once said – “What greater gift than the love of a cat.”
I think Charles was right but his statement is not completely true. I am going to go one further and say “What greater gift than the love of a pet.”
Unconditional to the very end.
Want more? For more blog posts that relate to Companionship which I found over at The Daily Post (most of these posts relate to love, pets and companionship) then check out the links below:-
1. What I Gotta Say About It – 5 Things My Dog Showed Me To Live A Better Life
2. POOLdles’ – collecting moments
3. Her – Some More Fiction
4. Companion – rupalislale
5. Vexing Point – Companion
6. Frank Prem – arthur and alice
7. Companion – disue
8. MC’s Whispers – Matching levels
9. “Campanion” – A Pre-Published Indie Author
10. Le Fool – i-Feel, i-Think, i-Sad, i-Cry
11. Time – Rusty Thoughts
12. artifiswords – COMPANION
13. Sink or Swim – Short…but not always so sweet
14. Companion – Angela Montijo
15. theblackwallblog – Thank-you’s & A List of 100 Songs That Help Keep me Happy!
16. Absence makes the heart grow fonder – dreams deferred
17. My thoughts they are – Chi..pa!!
18. My dog is a friend and companion – 1kayaker
19. Why everybody needs a companion when doing some things – The Daily Posts’ Daily Prompt – tech7533
20. Ahmeli – I Married “Mr. Right.” She Married “Mr. Who?”
21. Companion – heart2go
22. My unusual companion – Home Sweet Home
23. Sandmanjazz – Companion Piece
24. The Good Feminist – Life Coach
25. Review: ColourPop Ultra Matte Liquid Lipsticks – ONE MORE SHOT PLEASE
26. Need – Like the Lamp
27. Grief is a Strange Companion – demonsbymyside
28. La Tour Abolie – Wordsworth’s Little Holiday (2/4)
29. All You Need – The Chaos Within
30. Awordseeker – COMPANION
31. Daily prompt – “COMPANION” – Chill Out Keep Calm and Breathe
32. Still a companion? – The Piscean me
33. Phelio a Random Post a Day – Those left behind
34. Purposive Writer – My Ever Constant Companion
35. Radically Distinctive – Companion
36. Fiction: Burying my companions secrets – It’s Mayur Remember?
37. somawrites – Friends forever
38. Red Mountain Motel – Completely Daily Prompt–Companion
39. E 10 – Owning – mistspell
40. tuckedintoacorner – Story of the Door (400)
41. “Serendipity” – A Pre-Published Indie Author
42. thegracefuldiva – Companion -A pet is for life not for eating
43. Joy Write – Friendlovership
44. Companion – atrangizindagieksafar
45. To Marry or not to Marry – Girl With A Tripod
46. LIFE AS A POTPOURRI !!! – Being Your Own Best Friend
47. Timeandreflections – The Silence
48. Let me be the ONE – Hershey’s World
49. YUDITH’S Journal – Companion
50. Giggles & Tales – Companion – The Daily Prompt!
51. Miss Bones – Her lost companion
52. Companions – Inside The Writer’s Closet
53. A Travel Companion – Thirty by Thirty
54. protagonist – What does nelkumi think?
55. Hope Filled Reads – Sal, the Soul Companion
56. Companion(s) – doghouse1623
57. Lottery – Grey Princess
58. Dreams (A Poem) – stephentotheplate
59. deathdefyinglife – Will Work for Blackberries
60. The Last Blog Available – Stakeout Companions
61. Mr. Johnson’s Blog – Who Needs People?
62. Companion of Her Days – StrangeLander2015
63. Companion – Allison’s Written Words
64. He was my Companion – Karuchan90
65. True Companion !! – ramnathshanbhag
66. The New 3 Rs: Retire, Recharge, Reconnect – Companion
67. Red’s Wrap – Put that Chainsaw Down! I Found the Key
68. Companion – gildaspoems
69. Sacrificial Chain Breaker – COMPANION
70. saphiraice – Velvet
71. I’m a full-fledged book addict – Dear Comrade Elvis.
72. FoodRadical – Companion – The Daily Post
73. Companion – The Life of Jan – Daily Prompt 6/21/2016
74. Companion – Open Window in a Closed Space
75. Always Present – Eagle’s Wing Ministries
76. Fluffy Pool – Leep and Lizzie
77. The Other Constant of Life – ideas and culture
78. Positively Un-broken – Monsters
79. Hugh’s Weekly Photo Challenge: Week 30 After Hugh’s Views & News – Progressing into Solitude
80. The Daily Post – Espiritu en Fuego/A Fiery Spirit – Companion
81. Walk With Me – I’ve Got…
82. the long walk – guavarilla
83. LINES of SHADEAU – Heart-Companion
84. Colder by the Lake – Companion
85. Pure Green – Tea Of The Day
86. anatomyofeverything – Companions.
87. thelonerose – Companions
88. Crossing Jordan – Two Are Better Than One
89. Tag Team – Dreamer’s Paradise
90. Mr. Johnson’s Blog – We All Need Friends
91. Prayers and Piazzas – Ode to Bear Bear
92. Untitled – Caillen James –Author
93. doTERRA from “Simply Cathryn” – Natural Companions
94. saphiraangel – Companion
95. Constant Companions – Restless Boundaries
96. Companions from the Cosmos – Author Tony Damian, RMT, CMT on Self-Healing
97. Jacki Kellum Juxtapositions: Read My Mind – I Have Always Been My Best and Truest Companion – My Life-long Friend
98. Marcin’s Corner – Companion
99. Why Do I Need a Companion – FAITHFULNFABALOUS
100. B_ up to date – Me and my companion
101. A Sunken Thought – A Fair Day PT 3
102. coldhandswarmheartsblog – My Companion
103. The Sleeping Reading Beauty ~ book reviews ~ time, and me ~
104. There is no party without companions – Say Yes To Greatness
105. Summer! – writealineblog
106. From Romeo to Juliette – writealineblog
107. 18th June, 1994 – writealineblog
108. Love I Declare – A Life In Transition
109. debooWORKS – Fray?
110. 10 Worse Jobs 2016 – SUCCESS STRATEGIES
111. An Awkward Bedtime Story- Alice Through the Looking Glass movie review – The Looking Glass
112. thestoryoft – Companion
113. Writing The Girl – Sidekick
114. A cat is a best friend – Diary of fantastic discoveries
115. Mainline_Matter – Companion Babe
116. My Brain, on Everything – My Literal Lifesaver
117. BreatheShellyGirl – Bean
118. Companion – Scott’s website
119. Bleeding heart – Mr.Brb_blog
120. debooWORKS – Alone
121. Starting “The Law School Diaries”: Law School Prep – Chloe Hawker
122. CompanionLESS… – skinnthingsblog
123. Lost in the Night – Fantasy Raconteur
124. Katy Trail Creations – Is It Worth the Drive?
125. The Companion – Let Me Stay Among The Stars
126. Mr Right NOW – Magic of this moment
127. pennyforyourthotsblog – Companion
128. FACTS AND COMMENTARY – I’m One Of The World’s 43%
129. Word Prompt Response: Companion – KimKnight_Author
130. Let’s Talk about Companion Novels! Daily Prompt – InsistentBooks
131. writeintent1 – How Can Yoga Help In Transforming Your Life ?
132. debooWORKS – The Greatest Friend In The World
133. Companion, Partner, or Significant Other – The Girl in the Squid Hat
134. The Gad About Town – My Duck Companion
135. Stay With Me – Cameron D Hamilton
136. Petrichor and Clouds – Hopeless Romantic: Part 1 – Tokens
137. Find Your One and Only True Companion – Emotional Fitness Training
138. True Companion !!! – ramnathshanbhag
139. Companion – wordsareallihavesite
140. The Diligent Dilettante – Companion
141. debooWORKS – Motion
142. bianca . paige . smith – Take care of yourself
143. Prompt for the Day: “Companion” – Saint P. Blogging
144. LOVE TALK – Companion
145. My True Companion – eddaz
146. SERENDIPITY – COMPANIONS
147. Daily Sketch June 20-21 2016 – DEAN KEALY
148. Who (or what) is your companion? – Lindeman Chiropractic…don’t just survive, THRIVE!
149. I Promise – Specscladeyes
150. Importance of Strong Relationships – Meg’s Musings
151. Companion – Journey of a Happy Girl
152. Companion – msgret
153. Le Drake Noir – Footstep side by side
154. somawrites – love happens
155. Barbara Duncan Mathies – A Most Agreeable Companion
156. Light & life – Never, Ever Bored
157. Sam The Turtle – Dear Sansa, You Souless Ginger Hooker
158. Musing Off the Mat – Companion
159. debooWORKS – Then And Now
160. Laurel Grove loves… – They called her the Green Goddess
161. the tale of the boyfriend 😛 – pins & ashes
162. You and I: Beyond the night. – Stokespeare
163. Zombie Flamingos – A day of plan B’s
164. Common Pursuit – A Treatment
165. According To Greta – 10 Interesting Facts About Dating and Relationships
166. 83 Unsung Heroes – The Science Of The Travel Companion
167. Sascha Darlington’s Microcosm Explored – Faithful Companions Revisited
168. ruminatorsite – Lucas the lunger
169. Prompt: Companion – LMTP Journey
170. Just need a hand to hold! – Writing belly
171. Why We Miss Each Other – Sydney David
172. another quiet muse – Companion… Your Name is Hope
173. Musings of a Random Mind – a letter to my sneakers
174. The Eye of a Thieving Magpie – The Uncommon, Common Loon.
175. Anton’s Ideas – COMING IN
176. Material Companions ~ Laptops, Phone and Tablet – My First 10,000 Photos
177. Relax – “I look at him, and…”
178. debooWORKS – In the Rain
179. Petra Omoregie Caroline – Companion – one word described by a photo story
180. Spirit Companion – whippetwisdom.com
181. Monsters – A lot from Lydia
182. lifelessons – a blog by Judy Dykstra-Brown – Companionshi
183. The ultimate companion or is it location, location, location? – The life of a 40 something
184. Kimberlee K. – How to Have Fun at a Wedding
185. Diary of a Married Woman – love, indispensible (Diamonte)
186. From Soup to Nuts: Allergy-Free – The sister-hood of mother-hood
187. Almost Old – Redhead Reflections
188. debooWORKS – Roger
189. elephant companion ⋆ Obsolete Childhood
190. My Simple Blog – Companion
191. One who breaks bread with another – Prompt and Circumstance
192. BRAIN CANCER BABE – Daily Prompt – The Companion I Never Asked For & Never Wanted
193. Companion – Silver Birch Tree
194. My companion … – clumsyandsilly
195. The Witted and Me. – TheTattooedBookGeek
196. A True Companion – Dutch goes the Photo!
197. Full Hands – I’m a Writer, Yes I Am
198. The Sleeping Reading Beauty ~ book reviews – ~ To My Man ~
199. Companion – Top Knots & Sweatpants
200. Companion: – TheTattooedBookGeek
201. Somewhere Beyond the Veil – Mistakes and Adventures
202. Flowers and Breezes – Companion
203. Diary of a Married Woman – love, indispensible (Cinquain)
204. The Cat Chronicles – Daily Feline Prompt: Feline Companions
205. Companion. Accomplice. Therapist. – University Life
206. Daily Prompt – Penny
207. Martha L Shaw – Still Holding Hands As We Walk Together!
208. new2writing – The Librarian
209. Companion – Daily Prompt – ladyleemanila
210. Do you want to be lonely? That’s your call – I Am Blockhead
211. Companion – YOU LIGHT UP MY NIGHT LIKE THE RISING MOON
212. Your Nibbled News (c) 2016 – Blue sky and sun are his companions
213. Explore Pets – travel companion
214. Companion – The Daily Post – D.B. Mauldin
215. Chronicles of an Anglo Swiss – Companions on the desk
216. Funny bone – zorazebic
217. Daily Blogging Prompt: COMPANION – The Blog of Maggie
218. Davina’s Soulfood – Harry, snow globe and a racoon
219. debooWORKS – Brothers for Life
220. A Companion to Remain – mySestina
221. Companion, a mans best friend. – Life as Nan
222. debooWORKS – Twins
223. kStan(ly) kSays – daily rites
224. It’s Not Always A Competition – Good For You!
225. Anton’s Ideas – PAWS FOR THOUGHT
226. On To Forever (Or So) – Little Miss Understood
227. That special one – Lovelyricism
228. A mom’s blog – Little Companion
229. Disillusioned By Lonliness – farrahstyles
230. Companion #TheDailyPost – Of Glass & Paper
231. happymeerkatreviews – My Furry Companion
232. Curves of Bronze – Hi India
233. Jacki Kellum Juxtapositions: Read My Mind – May All Dogs Go to Heaven Before the Kitties Know They’re Gone
234. Hot White Snow – You Don’t Know Jack
235. charlottesville winter – The Blue Pearl of Happiness
236. onedimpledgirl – Mini Us.
237. The happy Quitter! – True Companion
238. Companion – Adarsha Kharel
239. Awl and Scribe – Shirt II
240. the15thday – Limerick(ish) for a buddy
241. My Happiest Time – HemmingPlay
242. Magnanimous Word – Life Of A Yogi
243. thelonerose – Birthday
244. Puppy Love – Just Writing!
245. Worshiping the “I” idol… – It Is Still Real
246. The Ghost Girl – randomtoiletgraffiti
247. Science Traveler – Vietnam for Americans – Part 2: A Cup of Tea and a Conversation I Didn’t Understand
248. The meaning of friends – Geek Ergo Sum
249. Growing Toward the Sun – Headaches: 1000000, Me: 0
250. A Hybrid Motherhood – Unlearning
251. Summer Solstice Ritual – Chronicles of an Orange-Haired Woman!
252. Travel Much? – Recline much?
253. Frustration – Sithu’s
toofulltowrite (I've started so I'll finish) 
This was excellent. Thank you for sharing! 🙂
I so agree. I love having my little dog Nina around.
Thank you very much Bradley my dear friend. I’m so happy that you have a little doggie to keep you company, I’m sure she is adorable. Cheers for the comment fella and give her a big hug from me 🙂
Wonderful! Thank you so much for sharing!
You’re welcome Erin. Thank you for reading and for taking the time to compliment, I appreciate it very much 🙂
Love it!! Velvet is awesome. She cracks me up sometimes with how human her expressions are, and I swear she looks at me like I’m stupid occasionally. You can just see the look come across her eyes like “really mom how dumb can you be? Pull yourself together”. That’s all it takes and I’m back on track.
Thank you for the comment Lisa. I also appreciate you sharing regarding Velvet. I love the name and the story you have shared. Despite all of the phone chewing, she sounds like a wonderful companion and I can feel the love you have from her from your piece 🙂
My poem was about a person, not a pet, but I agree with what you say about pets. Although I can’t keep a cat, because of my allergy, I befriended a neighbor’s cat, who would come to me when I called him, and whose purr helped me get through a tough time. He would also come to me me as I got out of my van. I know he was a soul animal. There was no doubt in my mind. If he’s still living, he’s now to old to be allowed out. But he will not be forgotten…ever.
That is a wonderful story Robert, thank you for sharing with me and your bond with the cat. It is my pleasure to showcase your poetry with my essay and I will be linking up to a lot more of your poems in a few weeks as I see you did a poem a day in April. I too participated in NaPoWriMo and did a poem a day so I look forward to when the time comes to link up the material and I will read all of your poems with eagerness 🙂
I’ve been doing two daily poetry prompts, and two, sometimes three weekly prompts, mostly poetry. You might want to check out this one, for which I’ll be providing the prompt on this coming Sunday: https://annieswritingchallenge.wordpress.com/2016/07/17/writing-outside-the-lines-prompt-49/comment-page-1/#comment-876
We’d gladly welcome some new “Writing Rebels”. Poetry, prose, whatever.
Hey there Robert. I will graciously accept your challenge, I’ve just seen your prompt on Writing Outside the Lines and it is a doozy. I look forward to writing a poem for it and will post it there when ready at some point next week. Thank you for letting me know, I sincerely appreciate the provision of prompts to encourage creative pieces 🙂
I look forward to seeing your response. Always glad to welcome a new “Writing Rebel”. All the linking is beyond my ken. I’m pretty much of a Luddite online. Late to the game, and the tech end is frustration all the way.
Lovely essay. I know exactly where you are coming from! I also want to thank you for including a link to one of several essays I’ve composed regarding my faithful companions. My heart is usually in my writing when I talk about them. Thanks again for sharing your essay.
Thank you so much Sascha. I look forward to reading your piece and I’m so glad that I can continue to share your work alongside my own. Writing is all about heart and I know that you have lots of it too 🙂
Unconditional, indeed. A pet’s love is genuine. No wonder people have pets! -Jennie-
Thank you for the comment Jennie. And I’m so glad that you agree 🙂
You are welcome!
Yes, yes and yes. These companions look so deeply at their humans and yet still love us.
Thank you for the comment. They put out a lot of love, faith and trust in us and in turn they give back so much. It is lovely that you feel the same way, kinship with animals is incredibly rewarding 🙂
Thanks for your kind words.
It is amazing how our animal companions fill the empty places in our broken hearts. It can save our lives sometimesin a way nothing else could. Thank you for sharing your kind heart. ❤️
Thank you too for the kind compliment. I totally agree, it is such a shame that some have such short lifespans but it does mean that you get love even more of them over the course of your lifetime and remember the ones you have enjoyed forever 🙂
Thank you, again, for mentioning me in your blog! I loved your essay.
It is my pleasure to continue to share your adventures 🙂 And I appreciate the comment, thank you for taking the time to read it
I swore I wouldnt have another pet until Scooter adopted “us”.Shes neighbors a cat who lost her previous owner to cancer. Such devotion! Thanks for the share and love your essay!
Awww I’m sorry to hear that she lost her owner but sounds like she has a great foster parent who adores her and that is brilliant. You are welcome for the share and thank you for taking the time to read and comment on my piece 🙂
WOW with a side of WOWSER!!
thank you for my blog mention!! And what a grand list!
My beloved dogs/companions/furry friend full of unconditional love… unlike no other…
What a fabulous post… you certainly got my attention!!
Kind Regards and feeling special – K
You’re welcome K 🙂 You certainly are special and sure your dogs think the world of you too 🙂 Glad you liked the post and thank you for taking the time to comment
🙂 🙂
Thank you for taking the time to share, I totally enjoyed this post.
You’re welcome Susanna and thank you for the compliment. Glad to be sharing your work again too 🙂
High Five to the spport
High Five to the support
I connect soooo much with your piece. My father is a vet and I am an only child. Aside from my parents, all of my family lives overseas. I was a painfully shy kid. Needless to say, there was a lot of alone time growing up. Yet, my best friends, my playmates, my true companions were all of the dogs, cats and random creatures I’d pick out at the pet store (birds, frogs, newts, you name it). Just as an aside, the only time I saw my father cry was when our dog had to be put to sleep.
When I was diagnosed with cancer, one of the first things I demanded was to adopt a rescue dog. So, we found our loving, crazy, funny companion, Quinn. Both her and her sister had been abandoned at a kill shelter down South, on Valentine’s Day nonetheless! Without a doubt, her love helped me heal and got me through some extremely tough times. I don’t know what I would’ve done without her. I didn’t rescue her, she rescued me.
One of my favorite quotes about our fur-babies is, “They might be only part of our lives, but to them we are their whole life.”
Oh, and P.S. Thank you for including my piece in your list!
xoxoxo
What a wonderful story 🙂 Thank you for sharing it with me. To have the symbolisation of Valentine’s Day too, it just goes to show what the love of good animals can do to you and how they can help you in life. It is my greatest pleasure to be able to share your post too and I’m so happy that you have lovely fur-babies to make your life more magical and tolerable 🙂 I cried myself when we had to have my cat put down (who I mentioned in the piece) because he got gravely ill and he would have died anyway. I’ll never forget him, I still feel his spirit to this very day as if he is walking among us. I appreciate your detailed and heartfelt comment 🙂
I know what you are talking about. I have a dog too only now I am half the world away from him and I feel a loneliness whenever I come home. It is heavier than many other emotions.
I love animals too, and regardless of the state of your marriage, I can say this by the number of companions you have had damn I am jealous. Great post buddy and thank you for the pingback, it took me a while to read it but I am glad i did.
Thank you again! Let me know if there are more animal post in your archives. I would love to read more
Hey there Mayur. Thank you for your wonderful and heartfelt comment, this is exactly why I wrote the piece to invoke this kind of response from kind souls like yourself. I’m so glad you have a friend who makes you paws for thought (sorry, terrible pun I know). If you’d like to read another animal piece, have you seen what I did for Hasty Words in her #BeReal series that has just finished? Here is the link where I write about cats and dogs, I’m sure you will enjoy it 🙂 https://hastywords.wordpress.com/2016/05/31/bereal-david-ellis/
Thanks I will enjoy it.