Belated Purpose Statement: Better Living Through Zoology

In my house live two creatures who, left to their own devices, are driven by instinct to form a pack with similar animals and hunt down and kill moose. They might go after other game, but really, they want moose. Look into their eyes! You can see it...."Moooooose."

But through the magic of domestication, they accept Jeni and I as one of them. We are part of the pack, and on our better days, leaders of the pack (vroom, vroom).

Everyday they greet us at the door with wagging tails. They follow us around from room to room, just wanting to be near. They accept us as we are, and love us even when we're crabby or impatient or smell bad or don't pay enough attention to them.

These are the animals I see everyday, and miss when they aren't around. They are a huge part of my life - a source of joy, comfort in hard times, and devoted despite my imperfection. The fact that they are relatives of wolves and African wild dogs just adds to the wonder of it all. It is a great gift and a grave responsibility to live in a world with dogs, whales, kangaroos, and tigers. The 85 lb. lab named Bernice, who looks like a small polar bear, and the dumpy red mutt named Rose, who looks like a potato grew red hair and came to life - the Eeyore to Bernice's Tigger - remind me of this every day.

And then there's the cat... she doesn't show up on film for some reason. The Druids believed cats were the reincarnated souls of wicked people. Can't imagine where they got that idea...