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Ten
Commandments for Pet Owners
1.
My life is likely to last 10 to 15 years or more. Any separation
from you will be painful.
2.
Give me time to understand what you want from me. Do not break my
spirit with your temper, though I will always forgive you. Your
patience will teach me more effectively.
3.
Please have me spayed or neutered.
4.
Treat me kindly, my beloved friend, for no heart in all the world is
more grateful for your kindness than mine. Don't be angry with me for
long, and don't lock me up as punishment. After all, you have your
job, your friends,your entertainment, I only have you.
5.
Speak to me often. Even if I don't understand your words, I
understand your voice when it's speaking to me. Your voice is the
sweetest sound I ever hear, as you must know by my enthusiasm
whenever I hear your footsteps.
6.
Take me in when it's cold and wet. I'm a domestic animal and am no
longer accustomed to the bitter elements. I ask for little more than
your gentle hands petting me. Keep my bowl filled with water. Feed me
good food so that I may stay well to romp and play. By your side, I
stand ready, willing and able to share my life with you, for that is
what I live for. I'll never forget how well you've treated me.
7.
Don't hit me. Remember, I have teeth that could easily crush the
bones in your hand, but I choose not to bite.
8.
Before you scold me for being lazy or uncooperative, ask yourself if
something might be bothering me. Perhaps I'm not getting the right
food, I've been out in the sun too long, my ear may hurt, or my heart
may be getting weak.
9.
Take care of me when I get old. For you will grow old, too.
10.
When I am old, or when I no longer enjoy good health, please do not
make heroic efforts to keep me going. I am not having fun. Just see
to it that my trusting life is taken gently. And be with me on that
difficult journey when it's time to say goodbye. Never say, "I
just can't bear to watch it."
Everything
is easier for me when you are there. I will leave this earth knowing
with my last breath that my fate was always safest in your hands.
I
love you.
~Author
Unknown~
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