I know for a fact that there are plenty of really nice people that don’t care for dogs.  Or they have allergies or they don’t like the clean up involved or they believe their home is too small to have a dog.  I truly understand and my philosophy is ‘live and let live’.

My husband and I happen to have 2 dogs and 1 cat and we love them.  We live in a “cottage” of 1,725 square feet.  We raised 2 wonderful sons in this home and have enjoyed the company of the following pets during our 28 years in our home:  6 cats (sadly the first 2 were taken by coyote, 1 ran away when we got a new puppy, 1 was hit by a car and 1, a shelter cat died of old age—we learned not to allow our cats outdoors after dark due to the coyote problem), 5 dogs, 1 desert tortoise, 1 rabbit, 1 canary, 2 mice, 1 hamster, 1 lizard and a partridge in a pear tree (not really on the whole partridge deal).

In my humble opinion I feel pets enrich our lives and add entertainment value to our home.  I admit there are times when I curse the dust bunnies that develop as a result of shedding and I go through lots of Swiffer cloths.  But at the end of the day I am so happy to have those enthusiastic little friends greet me when I arrive home and are happy to rest near me while I read or watch television.

Do you have pets?  What is your favorite thing about about sharing your home with a pet?