Second Chance: Furry Best Friend’s Day

10 Feb Second Chance: Furry Best Friend’s Day

Second Chance Humane Society’s Animal Resource Center and Thrift Shops have been serving San Miguel, Ouray & Montrose Counties for 27 years. Call 626-2273 to report a lost pet, learn about adopting a homeless pet, or about our Emergency Response, Community Medical, Spay/Neuter, Volunteer, or other services. View shelter pets and services online: www.adoptmountainpets.org.

Ally

Are you in the hate or love category regarding Valentine’s Day? The expectations, the commercialism, the pressure, the loneliness, the expense…just thinking about it makes me want to retch a hair ball. But to all the dear readers of the Second Chance Pet Column, I have the solution.

Let’s kick Valentine’s Day to the curb (no offense Saint Valentine…) and celebrate Furry Best Friend’s Day instead. On Furry Best Friend’s Day you get to stay home, cuddle with your pets and feed them treats that may resemble chocolate, but smell like tuna. You don’t have to dress up or spend a bunch of money because your furry best friends always accept you fully for who you are and however you smell. You get to just bask in requited love and pet hair.

Admittedly other alternatives to Valentine’s Day currently exist such as Single’s Day and International Quirkyalone Day (a “do-it-yourself celebration of romance, friendship, and independent spirit,” according to the official site) but Furry Best Friend’s Day just feels better to me. I mean, there are more people who have pets than have partners so this would make more people happy and fewer people sad. (Not to mention that many who do have partners prefer cuddling with the pet.)

Last year Valentine’s Day spending nationwide amounted to $27.4 billion (up 32% from the prior year record of 20.7 billion.). The day has become a romance fraud that I am sure Saint Valentine would not approve of. Take a moment to think how we could change the world with 27 point four billion dollars…

An estimated $1.7 billion of that total went toward pet gifts. Yeah, for like all the things your pet really needs like bling collars, heart-shaped sweaters, and hand-painted bowls. Instead, $1.7 billion could save a lot of homeless pet’s lives…

Time to make a change. If not for all the greenbacks that can save the world, do it for these reasons pets make the finest Furry Best Friend’s/formerly known as Valentine’s Day dates:

Pet slobber is cute. Date slobber is very not cute. Ever.

A pet won’t look hopefully, then desperately, and finally disdainfully into your eyes when the evening doesn’t end in a helicopter ride to Paris and a romantic marriage proposal. Won’t happen. Prolonged eye contact totally freaks us out.

Being adored by a pet is the best. When we follow you around it’s cute. If a date follows you around it is called stalking.

Pets are fun, and funny, and goofy, and handily clean food right off the kitchen floor when you drop it. Dates seem to think that kind of thing is below them. Lame.

Most pets don’t read so you can flip off Mr. Hallmark and make this day just about love.

Love from a pet comes without a price tag.

About me.

My name is Ally. I am a 7-month-young female tabby. Although I am still learning the perks of being a pet, rather than a discarded outdoor cat, I am already enjoying the company of humans (once I get to know them). I am becoming playful and believe I can make your Furry Best Friend’s Day meaningful and memorable.

Adopt me today!