As a child, I have always wanted to own a pet dog, or a cat. Something warm, fuzzy, and alive that I could play with, and snuggle up to. At that time, I thought it would be really nice to have a cat or a dog as a close buddy, and to experience the kind of unconditional love they would give me. As an adult now, and having the opportunity to take care of my sister's dog for a time period; I realized that it was probably a good thing that I had not owned a pet.
Don't get me wrong here, its not the having to feed it, and cleaning up after it thing that put me off. It just was not everything that I had imagined it would be like.My sister's dog, while I had him, looked up to me as its owner. I fed him, cleaned him, and he loved me back, kept me company, etc. But I did not feel the same thing I thought I would have felt when I have a pet. It felt like I was only doing what was necessary to take care of it, and be responsible for it. I did not get the warm fuzzy feeling that I thought that I would. Why?
After over 2 decades, I finally understood the reason behind it. When I see an animal I do not own, I want to cuddle it, pet it, hug it, play with it. I love it, and want it to be my friend. That is what friends do, they enjoy each others company, take comfort in each other, and love each other. When I own that "friend" the social dynamics change. Friends are what friends are, you don't own "friends". When that friend becomes your property, you take on a dual relationship, and that is why the social dynamics of this social relationship change.
I am not saying that everyone out there is like that, its just how I feel I am like. Yes, I still love most animals (I am reserving some wiggle room here for a small population of animals that may be out there which are just down right repulsive to even consider hugging it). But I only want them to be my friend, I do not want to own them anymore.
