Thank you to @selfhelp4trolls for this question, a really nice one to write about! It's such a general question using the word animals, and yet in a way my relationship to all animals is the same in some ways. One thing is for sure, whenever i see just about any animal I can't help but make some kind of silly noise or kissy sound to get their attention to see if we can connect. I will happily pet just about any animal, except for snakes and scorpions.. and maybe a few others.. It always amazes me how just about every animal is receptive to strokes and petting, unless they are scared. If they are scared and you manage to get the first few strokes in then nearly always they become receptive and seem to really like it. Its a curious thing, and kind of a universal language.. the language of the heart.
I've had a few pets over my lifetime, mainly dogs and a lot of cats.. i think its fair to say that i am besotted with them both and can easily spend hours on end hanging out with them, feeding them, and cuddling them.. Time just flies by when i do that! I have also had one or two strange pets, and i can remember once having three leopard geckos in my tiny room in a vivarium. They were a great hypnotic addition to my life as i had the vivarium at the head of my bed in my tiny room. I can still remember the crickets kicking off every night as i had to breed them as well as food. As amazing and cool as geckos are, i don’t think they are that happy in small containers, and im glad i don’t have them anymore. I also owned a corn snake for a few months as i tried to get over my fear of snakes, and was hoping to see if we I could connect and bond with one. It didn’t go so well, and in the end feeding them pinky mice was just a horrible experience as I liked the mice more than i did the snake.
I find a lot of joy meeting wild random animals, and that is one reason why i love living in rural India. I used to live in one of the most biodiverse hotspots on the planet and I was visited by some beautiful animals large and small. We used to get regular visits from HUGE wild bison that would come right up to my front door late at night. They were so big that you could feel the ground shake as they approached, and just the sound of them breathing would wake you up! Fortunately they were very peaceful and i can remember one time we stood a few feet apart just gazing into each others eyes. IT was a combination of fear and love, as they can trample you over if they bolt in your direction.
A Giant squirrel just outside my earthship home
A couple of farm dogs hanging out
My amazing cats Flash and Shanti.. I had to leave them in Portugal when i left :(
So darn Cute!
I think if i had to choose which animals i love the most i would have to go for cats,, or is it dogs? I cant choose actually between them. Cats are simple amazing and to me are like little balls of bliss.. Just watching them puts me in a trance, and i can chill and relax with a cat all day long.. as i have done on many an occasion! Dogs on the other hand are like having children, the bond is incredibly strong and the last dog i had was often referred to as my shadow. Whenever i went he would come, and there was simply no way to stop him. He was the most incredible escape artist and no matter how hard i would try to keep him at home, whenever i went out for a walk he would suddenly appear as if by magic just minutes later. All animals are clever, and dogs are no exception! The intelligence and emotional range of a dog really is much like a human,.. whereas cats are like an enigma.. No one can say what they are thinking, where as dogs its always quite obvious.. its either let's eat, let's play, or let's go for a walk!
I think my relationship with my dog was the most beautiful one. So much so that i would not really leave the area very often as it was hard to find a dog sitter where i lived, and even when i did i could feel his pain when i would go.. He would always get depressed, stop eating, and we would miss each other very much. It's a beautiful thing, and not one i can say that i fully understand. I guess their intense loyalty is something that i admire, and i feel like i cant let them down since they are so loyal and loving.
One of my favourite pastimes is feeding animals. I can do it all day, quite literally, and when i do time just flies by like a dream. I don’t really know why i enjoy feeding animals so much. Maybe its because they cannot go and get much food themselves in many places, so they are kind of vulnerable and needy of some care. This is especially so in many towns and cities of India that have dozens of dogs on every street, all hungry and so appreciative of some food. I’m sure i go over the top and spoil them sometimes, but i don’t care so long as they are happy!
It's hard to define really what my relationship is with animals is. I suppose it s a kind of love, an unconditional love between to sentient beings. There’s no reason for it, there’s nothing that they really give me back except for connection past the ego human dynamics that we are all so used to. I suppose the fact that they cant speak English helps as it keeps the relationship very simple, and i always find it quite entertaining when animals do learn to communicate using body language and other prompts. I things its amazing how every animals can communicate without language and it is so effective if you learn how to read their signals. Just today i was hanging out with some love-birds ( I think they were love birds), and one of them really liked licking my nose and face.. I think because i was sweating and it enjoyed that.. I could just tell after my third visit how it had gotten to know me, and how comfortable it was taking food from my hands. It had this kind of enthusiasm and no hesitation.. unlike the first time i met it when it would shuffle along its stick in the opposite direction. When an animals moves toward you, or settled down next to you it is telling you they feel safe and comfortable with you..
I don't have any pets right now, sadly. I miss having them in my life but i cannot entertain the idea until i am settled and stable in one place. Also i would not have a pet in a normal house as i think its a bit sad for them unless they have freedom to go in and out and some green land to play in. I hope soon to have a cat or dog again so i can connect on a level that is just unconditional and without any needs or desires from them.. They are just perfectly perfect just as they are!