Reigning cats and dogs

My wife says when she was growing up, if the cat was in your chair then you sat somewhere else. My raising was slightly different. My dad once said we should feed the cat to the dog, then shoot the dog. We all grew up with animals, though, and our lives are the richer for it. I find it tragic to see a child who is afraid of animals. One of my brothers said you shouldn’t be allowed to raise a child, until you have proven you can raise a well-adjusted puppy.
When you are gone for two hours, your dog will greet you like you’re the best thing he’s ever seen. He will also sniff you all over, to determine what experiences you have encountered since he saw you last. If you take a two week vacation, when you come home the cat won’t notice you’ve been gone. “Oh, did you step out for a while? Didn’t notice. The water bowl could use a little refreshing, though.” The catbox became my duty when my wife was pregnant with our first child. “Hey, there’s a disease in there that could kill our kid!” Now it’s 25 years later, and I still have catbox duty. Maybe my dad was partially right after all.
We said goodbye this week to one of our dogs. I still see her all over the house, and keep thinking I hear her walking around. I miss her. Rest well, Mysti. You were a joy!