You ask an obvious question unless you’re asking a perverted question, in which case I have no time for it.
If you haven’t seen people who love their animal as a member of their family you haven’t seen an elderly person all by themselves save their animal. Or countless other ways people end up with animals, taking care of them, being affectionate to them. Grieving when they die, or knowing they have to be put down. The loss is real. We mourn the loss of something that brought so much joy into your life, just by being there, now isn’t there. And we miss it greatly. Most people can’t do that. It is a real gift to be able to bring joy to people just by being there.
My animals were all abandoned, some twice. My home is their forever home. They are animal members of the family. They will be defended as family members.
One of the only good things to come out of Hurricane Katrina was this: To save people, you need to save pets.
Pet lovers like us knew this already; but the rest of the world came to know it, too.
People who are alone, or elderly, or whatever, will NOT abandon their pets. While often their family companions, many folks have pets as their protectors. I can personally think of a dozen elderly people who would never leave a house on fire, unless they could grab their pets along with them. Crazy? Yes. But we are human.
So smartly, we now evacuate WITH pets in tow, to eliminate more lost human life. This is a good thing, a compassionate thing.
But let all of us pet lovers remember this, so we can generously donate to these organizations who do this kind of work.
Mine, too. Of the 6 all but 2 were abandoned and one of those 2 was tied up and neglected. 2 of the cats were tiny kittens that turned up in my yard, cold and wet and scared. They were still too young to eat. I had to feed them with a medicine dropper.