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My neighbour with his lovely catPhoto (Toronto: August, 2008) © Jerome D'Costa
The Pets
When we hear the word 'pet', we immediately envision a picture of an animal. That can be a dog, cat, horse, cow, goat, sheep, bird or fish. Like man, pets, though animals, are creatures of God, too. They are in this world for the benefit of mankind.
Pets serve as our companions, our work-buddies, or as a source of amusement. Their presence among us helps us not only physically, but also emotionally and psychologically. Those who have pets, spend a considerable time with them playing and exercising. This helps people lower their blood pressure and relieve stress, if any, to a certain extent. It has been proven scientifically that disabled or seriously ill people can get a lot of help from medically-approved therapy animals, especially dogs. It has also been found that dogs can diagnose certain types of cancer in a person. Some dogs frequently licked certain parts of their owners' bodies and later it was found that those very parts were affected by cancer!
We can learn a number of things from our pets. Generally they are loyal, patient, obedient and self-sacrificing. Their alertness and protective attitude saved a lot of owners from serious dangers like fire in the house, intruders, and so on. In the western countries, many pets received awards and recognitions from civic organizations and governments.
It is sad but true that sometimes men and women do not treat their pets humanely. When pets get sick or cannot serve their owners' purpose as before or, for some other reasons, some of these pets get really cruel treatment. They even get hurt physically or even get maimed, bruised or burnt severely. To save these types of animals, some countries have private or government shelters for animals.
Let's enjoy our pets and treat them humanely. If they receive good treatment, they, in return, give back to us many times over.
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