If you’re feeling blah, what is the one thing you do that you can count on to put a smile on your face?

When I’m feeling blah there is one thing that can always make me smile and that is the antics of our pets. No matter how many times I’ve seen it before their funny little habits will bring a smile to my face. I know I’m not alone in that judging by all the funny pet photos and videos you see on social media.

When our cat Polly was a kitten she played with this toy all the time but I never got tired of watching her. She also likes to try to catch the pendulum on our mantel clock. It’s naughty of her but I can’t help finding it funny. Of course very young animals are especially amusing to watch because everything is new to them. I love watching Polly playing with Cindy our dog too. Cindy is much bigger and stronger but Polly will spring at her and play bite her on the leg or the side of her face while Cindy tries to knock her off-balance with her paw. They often play this game and I nearly always stop what I’m doing to watch them.

I think that it is one of the reasons that pets are used so often as therapy for people who are lonely or depressed. They amuse us, they make us feel less stressed and with dogs in particular their enthusiasm for life is infectious.

Hubby takes Cindy down to a local park where there is an off leash area and every time she whimpers with excitement as they approach the park.  When she jumps out of the car she is so excited that she just has to run about for a few minutes before coming back to ask for a game of ball. She loves to chase balls but sometimes Hubby only pretends to throw one and she runs about searching and wagging her tail like mad until she cottons on to what he’s up to and comes back. Hubby always has a supply of cheap tennis balls in the car because Cindy either loses them or breaks them. When she has had enough of the game she runs down to the river’s edge and plunges in to cool off, quite often taking the ball with her then she comes running back and jumps into the back of the station wagon as if to say “Let’s go home now”. We never taught her to do it, she just does.

Even watching animals sleeping is funny sometimes. You see their legs twitch and sometimes they make sounds. What are they dreaming about? Wouldn’t you love to know?  Watching our  pets always takes my mind of my troubles.