A girl and her cat. Photo from Wikimedia Commons by Joaquim Alves Gaspar, Porto Covo, Portugal, December 2005
Most pet people fall into one of two categories. The ones who think of their animals as a sort of hybrid of companion, child, soulmate and boss. And those that don’t think about their pets much at all.
This blog is meant for people who fall into the former category. We hope that means you.
Sure, there’s plenty of heated debate to be had around the notion of whether pets are people and how many human characteristics we can actually assign them. But the underlying premise true animals lovers share is that their pets are fully formed, deeply interesting individuals, filled with their own special quirks. While we may not process the world in quite the same way, we share more with our pets than most non-animal lovers would be comfortable admitting.
And just what lies at the root of this discomfort?
Perhaps it’s because admitting that animals can love and feel and fear just like we can means we have to think long and hard about how we treat them. Not just the puppy on our lap, but the steak in our plate. The leather bag we bought yesterday and of course the biggest and hairiest question of them all: that of human population in a world where we see ourselves as consumers first and citizens second.
Yikes!
But relax, this blog isn’t just about the heavy stuff. We just wanted you to know that although there will be lots here about the lighter side of pet guardianship– the cuddling, the antics, the poignant moments– this isn’t just another cutesy kitty-puppy blog. We will certainly celebrate the joys and rewards of living with animals, but we also won’t shy away from some of the deeper questions.
And this blog isn’t just about food and pet recipes either. We’re here to explore the ethics of animal guardianship, training methods, living with allergies, managing a multi-pet household and finding the money, time and energy to do it all. And do it right.
We hope that you’ve read this far because these are all questions that are important to you. Do you have others? We’d love to hear them! Ditto stories about your pets–how did you meet? Are they some sort of fur-clad superhero? Are they currently conducting a sleep study (make that sleep deprivation study) on you? And yes, we’d love to see photos.
Just email us at info@evive.ca
We’ll pick a winner every month who will get delicious free treats, access to our workshops and all sorts of other goodies.
In the mean time, thanks for stopping by. We’re going to be posting fresh content here every Thursday, so don’t forget to subscribe to the blog via RSS.
