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Sera
1995-2009

He glared at me and said, " Good Grief, its just a dog!" The remark cut life a knife. I had stopped on the way home to get a loaf of bread and was teary-eyed . He was an elderly man doing the same but noticed I had been crying and seemed concerned. I told him that I had just lost my pet of 14 years and was still a little upset. That's when he made the comment. To say that I was shocked is an understatement. It was just plain mean and cruel, and it hurt.

My dog, Sera, was 14 years old and was having geriatric problems. In my heart I knew her time was drawing near but tried not to think about it. I have had many dogs in my life but there was something special about Sera and I loved her completely. When she got worse two weeks ago, I didn't want to accept that it was happening. I had even told my daughter that I wasn't going to be able to go with her on our summer vacation. I wanted as much time with her as possible. She was getting worse, in pain and then, finally the worst of all . . . . . the Vet told me that there was nothing else he could do for her. Sera died the morning of the same day the man told me that she was “just a dog”.

Many of us, especially seniors, become attached to animals when our children leave home. Having a pet is not necessary for human health and welfare but studies show that most people with pets live a bit longer, have slightly better blood pressure than non pet owners, but to be perfectly honest, we don't really need our pets to survive. Older people, particularly those who live alone, enjoy life more when they have a pet to share their love. They become our companions. Pets show a range of emotions—love, anxiety, curiosity—so those of us who love cats, dogs and other domestic pets like to feel that they possess the full range of human feelings. They dance with joy when we come home, put their heads on our knees and stare longingly into our eyes. Yes, we think they give us the love and loyalty we so richly deserve and so rarely receive. When they come to us for attention, we are free to fill in the blanks with what we need to hear..

We love our “fur babies” and talk about them as if they are children. We know they aren't children. After all, we have children . . . they have just grown up and moved away. Yet people who are not pet lovers think we are crazy or morons for loving an animal. I have met many people who don't like animals. I don't understand why they dislike pets but for some, they fear them because of something that happened years earlier. I love my pets but I that doesn't mean I love everyone else's pet. By the same token, I am considerate of other people's feelings not only for their pets, but other things as well. The man I encountered at the grocery store was not.

I am sure that many pet lovers can be inconsiderate. I am also sure that almost all non pet lovers are inconsiderate. They just can't see it. Some dislike all animals. They don't understand and don't want to understand. I don't believe the man at the grocery store realized he had hurt my feelings or even cared that he did. Looking back, I think he was probably just being nosy. Either way you look at it, he was rude and inconsiderate. I wanted to hurt him back but I did nothing except cry again. Now I am venting. I need to say this and if you disagree with me, I just don't care.
Here goes!

I think the man I encountered in the grocery store probably:
drives with his lights on high beam;
talks out loud at the movies;
breaks line,
parks his car so that he takes two spaces;
mows the lawn at 6 am.;
spits in public,
doesn't give a signal before turning;
chews with his mouth open;
always leaves the toilet seat up;
blows cigarette smoke in peoples faces;
belches loudly in restaurants;
fills a shopping cart to overflowing and goes to the express check-out;
is a litter bug;
never says please, thank you, excuse me, or I'm sorry;
farts in elevators
is a real jerk;
and thinks everyone else is inconsiderate.

Feel free to add to the list if you like.