A tuba and an issue of "Crochet Today!"...

Catching up on my "Supernatural", "Drop Dead Diva" and yarn craft today. (Yes, that's an actual line from an episode of SPN I watched today. Lol)

Charlie is doing okay. His paw is very tender. The neighbor kids were sad for him, which made me swell with community pride. These little ragamuffins didn't have the slightest empathy for animals last month, and now they are sad that the "cool, scary dog next door" (scary because he's so large) is injured. They want to pet him, but they're so small that he's on eye level with one of them, and I can see how that might be intimidating. Just last month these kids were trying to throw rocks at a cat outside my window, and I scooped it up, took it inside and out the back door to tell the parents. The kids got in trouble, and the neighbor and I are now talking a little bit. It's a weird way to build a relationship, but it works.

I've been thinking today, especially since watching an episode of SPN with "skin walkers" (human like beings that can turn into dogs). Would I treat an animal differently than I would a human? Do I treat humans like I treat animals?

In the episode, a homeless man is "turned" and becomes a skin walker. He looks like a German shepherd, and is adopted by a single mom and her son. In the end, the woman is so freaked out, that she calls him a freak, and threatens his life if he ever comes around again, even though he saved her life multiple times while her pet.

People think me odd, because I "spoil" my animals. They eat and drink from freshly washed dishes. When I buy them kibble, it's food grade, and made in the United States. I paint Charlie's nails, not just clear, which was recommended to me, but colors that match his collar. They get a new toy every month. They're up to date on vaccinations. When it's available, they drink filtered water. I don't see how that's "spoiling" them. Inside pets, outside vagrant cats, it's all the same to me. I believe God trusts me with their care.

In genesis, man's first task was to name and care for the animals.

Saint Francis called animals his "brothers and sisters", and even preached to the birds.

My cousins laughed at and with me, for me rescuing a frog from swimming in my aunt's pool. He swam quite well, and I'm sure he would have eventually found his way to the shallow end, but he seemed a bit lost, and was chasing my cousin. While I held him in one hand, I scooped water onto the sidewalk to cool it off, since the pool was much cooler than the sidewalk. My cousin joked something along the lines of "when you die, they're going to name you as a saint for unwanted animals!"

Theologies aside, if an animal is treated with respect and a general sense of love, how is that crazy? I even ask, do we treat the homeless with even a fraction of kindness we give our dear pets, who eat purina out of the same old dirty dish day after day?

I think I'm called to love and care for animals and humans equally, because God made them both. They have feelings, needs and desires. I won't go as far as St. Francis and preach to pigeons, but it seems like my life long affection with Hugh Lofting's "Doctor Doolittle" has good standing of reasoning behind it. My only difference in obligation to humanity is to care about their souls, in addition to caring about their feelings, wants and needs. I'm a human, and my first duty is to humanity...but it shouldn't be such a wonder for society to look at me and see my care for animals. I think others should care more, not me less.

/soapbox