Warm and Fuzzy

It is a long time since I have been in one place long enough to have a pet. I am just coming to the end of a second stint of pet sitting. The little dude I have been keeping company rocks. 

Despite knowing that pets can contribute hugely to happiness, it seems there are a few basic requirements that have to fall in place first. You can't really be wandering around too much. My family had a dog named Milligan. After Spike. Whenever we went on holiday and had to leave him at the kennel, we would come back with him having lost a bunch of weight. Besides the cost, the guilt with the poor guy not knowing when we were coming back wasn't great. If you have a great support network, then presumably the dogs can stay with someone they know. I have spoken about the advantages of communities in terms of meals and helping with kids. Pets would be another tick. If you live in an area or arrangement where the pet is effectively shared, then you wouldn't have to worry about flexibility.

A friend of mine absolutely loves pets but for all the reasons above, hasn't been able to get one. When talking about shared spaces, we were trying to think of how you could introduce pets. There are plenty of pets at RSPCAs in need of attention, often from people who underestimate the commitment. Perhaps a little sharing would help.

Once all the pieces fall in place, the simple affection you get is rather intoxicating. Whatever your choice of company. Some go for the big dogs who they can run with. Some go for the little dogs who look at the leash with a smirk. Whether a pet or a person, the unquestionable knowledge that your company is appreciated is warm and fuzzy.

Finding More

On the day I arrived in Avalon at the start of my few months down under, my friend handed me a book he thought I'd like. So it makes sense to write about it on the day I am leaving. I am off to the airport to pick Rich and his family up. I have been pet sitting for them. The dogs and a cat have got on with me well. The other cat has been fine, but thinks I am an idiot. She could not have made it clearer that she wanted to go outside. But she is a sneaky cat, and Avalon is rather jungly, so I had jail warder instructions. Back to the book...

'The River Why' is novel about a young man, Gus, and his family. What triggered the suggestion was that Gus ends up in a cabin on the river living a very simple life. Rich and I had been talking about micro-cabins and how small we thought you could go and still live comfortably. During business travel, there are times when you can end up in rather fancy hotels but then only get to sleep in them. It is crazy. All you really want is a comfortable bed, a shower with good water pressure, the room to be clean and wifi. The same concept can apply for homes. If you live in a city with wonderful shared spaces, you probably don't need much more than that either.

The book was about much more than that though. It was beautifully written with lots of hilarious scenes. I had recently heard that Portland, Oregon is amazing. With this book set there, it only added to my desire to make my way out there at some stage. There is something magical about rivers, and although I am not a fisherman, it is not hard to understand the seduction that pulls people to the water. Although the writer cunningly makes small tweaks to hide the identity of the actual river. The tale was about people finding a story which helps them to piece things together. Gus loved fishing. It was everything for him. But through people he was able to find more. 

Cats and Dogs

I am spending three weeks petsitting. Pets have been noticeably absent from any of my blog posts, despite the theme being happiness. How can I defend their absence? I write on so many things that I have absolutely no clue about. Hence my regular pleas for guest blog posts. I have two Vets I am working on. But there is a balance between asking someone and becoming a mosquito. 

I had a wonderful dog growing up. I believe Milligan was a cross between a fox terrier and a poodle, but I don't think anyone knew for sure. He was awesome. I have a wonderful photo of the two of us sleeping next together when I was a little guy. He always seemed to know when you were ill and would sleep next to the couch or your bed. Like Mother Bears porridge, he was neither too big nor too small. Just right. I have to admit to struggling with yappy dogs, slobbery dogs or jumpy dogs.

As for cats. We had a couple. One named Tut, who we all loved dearly but had an unfortunate run in with our neighbourhood Pit Bull Terrier (unsurprisingly #1 on the first list of danger dogs I googled). The second had a few names - Fat Cat stuck best. Unfortunately Fat Cat soured my Man-Cat relations and was grumpy in the kind of way that doesn't make you millions of dollars.

Grumpy Cat has made way more money than you

My project for the next three weeks is to keep two dogs and two cats happy and healthy till their loving owners return. Maybe it will give me some more insight into animals and my own happiness. It has been a long time since Milligan left my world. The main handbrake for me has always been the fact that I been wandering the globe. I am also a little hesitant of messy pets turning my home into a zoo. It seems you have to be in one place and you have to live in a big house with a big garden to do pets justice.

Perhaps the co-housing model of the Danes would help solve that? You get less of the wasted space of one family living in a huge house, and you get enough people around so that you can go on holiday or travel without concern. I also like the idea of pets at Third Places. The well trained sort would make great additions to schools, hospitals, coffee shops, and even libraries (read a book, stroke a cat).

I know there are lots of dog and cat people out there. Anyone want to do a better job than me at stating the case for pets and happiness?