Like anyone else that is worth knowing on the planet, I am a huge animal lover. Ever since getting my first goldfish, Goldie pre-five-years old, I have known I never wanted to be without dogs, hermit crabs, turtles, guinea pigs, bearded dragons, school of tropical fish or the myriad other animals that have since been pets of mine, nor do I ever want the world to lose any of its wilder, undomesticated creatures. Goldie eventually mysteriously turned black and became known as Midnight, and a string of dogs and other pets wandered into our lives and nestled into our hearts. (And as I think of the miraculous Goldie transformation with my adult brain now, I sort of wonder if Goldie was flushed to heaven, and my parents just pretended she had undergone a freak-of-nature-style metamorphosis.)
Animals have also been on my mind as I’ve been co-working a bit on a new business venture this week. (Stay tuned for that cat to be let out of the bag in the coming months). While it was actually inspired by an inside joke, the fact that the name of the company is animal themed is not at all surprising. So, as I think about animals, here are some quotes about them that I particularly enjoy.
“Outside of a dog, a book is man’s best friend. Inside of a dog it’s too dark to read.” — Groucho Marx (from The Essential Groucho: Writings For By And About Groucho Marx)
“Heaven goes by favor. If it went by merit, you would stay out and your dog would go in.” — Mark Twain
“All his life he tried to be a good person. Many times, however, he failed. For after all, he was only human. He wasn’t a dog.” — Charles M. Schulz
“If having a soul means being able to feel love and loyalty and gratitude, then animals are better off than a lot of humans.” — James Herriot (from All Creatures Great and Small)
Julia Rogers 