Most of us have pets at home. I used to feel like many people who believe that “those animals didn’t ask to be in that chuck wagon race"ect, ect. If you are one of those people, what you may want to stop and ask yourself is what does your own pet go through that it didn’t ask for. When your dog/cat eats the totally crap "food" we feed them filled with corn and a bunch of fillers they don’t need, bleh, or when your dog waits for you at home by themselves the entire day with nothing to do but lick his...*ahem*...whiskers for what probably feels like 18 hours, or when your cat leaves the house and its only option is to go play in traffic.
These are some of the downsides to being a pet in the society we live in. Think about it. Wolves and feral cats eat MEAT, and wild FRESH vegetation. They shag and eat the live-long day away in a happy little wild pack. Slowly, over the years we have taken these animals from the wild, altered and farted around with them breeding characteristics that better suit our needs. Awful, right?!
I know, it doesn’t sound like I’m painting a great picture, but here’s what I think. What’s done is done. There is nothing you or I can do to go back in time and change things, nor would we. Let's admit it. There is something at the heart of this that matters.
It’s why we want to make it easier for our poochies and kitties to live with us. It’s why your dog will forget about being by himself all day, or that he used to be a wolf, but now he’s a flippin’ wiener dog, or your cat, that used to be a mountain lion, is now a long haired, jingly ball-chasing fur ball. He is just OVER THE MOON to see you when you get home. Or why you were ticked when your dog ate your favourite friggen shoes when you were out, but you look at him and his big brown puppy dog eyes, and rub his neck and kiss on him anyway.
It’s why we want to make it easier for our poochies and kitties to live with us. It’s why your dog will forget about being by himself all day, or that he used to be a wolf, but now he’s a flippin’ wiener dog, or your cat, that used to be a mountain lion, is now a long haired, jingly ball-chasing fur ball. He is just OVER THE MOON to see you when you get home. Or why you were ticked when your dog ate your favourite friggen shoes when you were out, but you look at him and his big brown puppy dog eyes, and rub his neck and kiss on him anyway.
When your cat claws your furniture and hacks up disgusting slime balls on your carpet, and you clean up after her, and let her climb all over your head. It’s why when “Tigger” finds all of your body flub, reminding you to lay of the chippies, all the while silently mocking you by kneading it with their little paws, and you think it’s adorable. It’s Love. He loves you and you love him.
Animals and people are connected. They do something for us and we do something for them.
I have experienced and been witness to some amazing animal/people relationships. My Ollie and me, or our dog Dudley we had growing up that was a gentle protector, my sister and her long list of critters and rescues, exceptional kids and their guide dogs, my friends with their cats/dogs, my sister in law and her fur baby Griss♥, the stories of Koko the Gorilla, Jane Goodall's works that have inspired me my entire life, MJ and Bubbles ;o), the thousands of amazing animal rescues we've all heard about over the years. It’s like the relationships cowboys have with their animals.
When you are watching these events at a rodeo or a
stampede, take into consideration that the riders LOVE those animals involved in the competitions. They are their pets. Most of them 95% of the time have GRAVY lives. Probably better than most of our critters at home. They are loved and cared for. It just so happens, they live a different lifestyle. The professionals know the risks involved and are right there beside every animal, and would not do anything to compromise their safety.
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| baby Grissy |
When you are watching these events at a rodeo or a
stampede, take into consideration that the riders LOVE those animals involved in the competitions. They are their pets. Most of them 95% of the time have GRAVY lives. Probably better than most of our critters at home. They are loved and cared for. It just so happens, they live a different lifestyle. The professionals know the risks involved and are right there beside every animal, and would not do anything to compromise their safety.
The moral of this story is, DON’T be a Judgey Judgerson. DO understand what a day-in-the-life of one of these animals looks like before you criticize. That goes for anything in life. Understand it before you knock it.
We ride and never worry about the fall
I guess that's just the cowboy in us all –Tim McGraw
