Couple learns to extend love to four-legged friend

"Our perfect companions never have fewer than four feet,” wrote French novelist, Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette. I think many people would agree with Colette’s semi-famous quotation.

I grew up with a golden retriever – a birthday present for my brother – who has been and continues to be an essential member of our family. Despite the many times that my father says otherwise, I know that when the time comes for Lady to depart, it will be quite a tragic day for my family.

Knowing how dependent, loyal and companionate that dogs can be – and living many miles away from being able to play with either my family’s dog or my in-laws’ dogs – my husband and I recently adopted a St. Bernard-mix from a stray rescue organization.

Never before did I realize how apt Colette’s statement was. While my dog is still a puppy, she is – thankfully – pretty much house-trained and eager to learn commands. But the best part so far has been her temperament. Mild-mannered and a “cuddlebug,” this puppy makes the perfect companion for someone like me, whose life consists of reading and writing.

It always amazes me when people talk about how they didn’t realize that a significant part of their life was missing until they met their husband/wife or had their children. I certainly can vouch for the truth of the first half, and I’m sure that I’ll experience the same emotions when I begin having children, but I definitely was not expecting to think about missing any aspect of life when we adopted our dog.

But now, coming home every day and seeing the excited tail wag and the puppy waddle as she comes out of her crate to greet me (and go outside), I realize that what seems to be missing is our ability to share the love that my husband and I have for each other, with someone, or something, else.

Of course, there are camps that feel that pets are simply pets, but I have always seen pets as part of the family. They allow us to extend the love that we have for others in our family, and simply love back unconditionally. In this way, they can be seen as the “perfect” companion because, in loving a pet, we learn more about unconditional love.

Perhaps this is what St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals, can teach us. As a man who acted from the heart and followed Jesus’ example joyfully and without limit, St. Francis of Assisi is aptly known for his love of animals, a love that was unconditionally reflected back upon him.

Having just celebrated Valentine’s Day expressing the love that we have for our significant others and family members, we can continue learning to love as we were created to love: freely and unconditionally. Certainly, we learn that love from our families, and we continue to learn as we start our own families, but another way we can learn this love is through our “perfect” companions, companions who experience and return their love completely.

Heather Bozant Witcher can be reached at [email protected]