Over in Marriage I wrote about what I think about on September 11 as it pertains to love and relationships. But another loving relationship I think about today is the one so many of us have with our animals.
Last year I wrote about the pets of 9/11. I did a little research into finding out if all the pets belonging to people affected by the attacks were okay. They were.
Today as I contemplate the events of September 11, 2001, I’m thinking about the pets and people who survived. (I guess I should be clear here. Only one pet, a cat, died then. I’m not sure how many people died that had pets, but of those that did, any pet needing a home had been rescued.)
It’s hard to believe those attacks happened seven years ago. In dog years that’s almost a lifetime.
So that’s among the things I’m thinking about today. How many of the dogs that were alive back then have since crossed the Rainbow Bridge? How many of the search and rescue dogs that worked Ground Zero have since retired or gone on to that great dog park in the sky?
How many owners relied on their pets to help them heal from the shock and trauma of that day? In particular, those living in New York. They might not have been directly affected by the attacks (as in maybe they hadn’t been among the people in or around the Twin Towers). But I’ve met several people who lived in the city during that time. To live in a place where such a devastating event has transpired is quite a jolt to the system from what I gather.
So how many people turned to their pets for pet therapy? Either consciously or unconsciously. I’m willing to bet more than a few. And I’m willing to bet those who did benefitted from it greatly.
How many people heard adoptions had waned significantly because of the attacks and, like me and Wayne, went to their local shelter? We went just to look, but don’t you know we ended up not being able to walk out without a new fur baby, who’s become our beloved Murphy.
And something I’m not sure if I wondered about before but which I do find myself wondering now is: how many pets sensed something was going to happen? Any of them? I know what happened on 9/11 was no natural disaster, but I am curious if any animals picked up on something in the Universe’s frequencies that day alerting them that Evil was about to strike.
I may never get answers to any of these questions, but these are my thoughts this year on the pets of 9/11.
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