Man's Best Friend

I awoke recently to a sliver of moon hanging in the inky, early morning sky.  There was just enough light to see the silhouettes of a person and dog in the snowy landscape below.  The temperature on our outdoor thermometer hovered between one and three degrees below zero but the TV meteorologist reported that the wind chill registered at 18 degrees below.  Oh, how we are devoted to our pets!  Why else would anyone be out at the crack of dawn in sub-zero temperatures than to help a beloved, four-legged companion get some exercise and do his or her business?  When I think of pets, I think of my good friend Betty who is an animal lover through and through.  She has transitioned from indoor-outdoor dogs to indoor cats over time.  No matter what type of animal adopts her -- dog or cat -- I see much of her happiness wrapped up in the happiness of her four-legged friends.  As she said, they are her family.  My friends John and Donna just recently added a new kitty to their family of humans, dogs and cats.  They are gentle people who give love generously.  They are so happy to have that new pet to love and they likely feel that little animal's love in return.  The unspoken devotion between a human and an animal is a beautiful thing that surely transcends obstacles -- even the coldest weather on a dark January morning.